Pass Christian Public School District with Rotary Club of Pass Christian. This project worked to intentionally teach our students 21st-century learning skills through the emphasis of STREAM (science, technology, reading, engineering, art, and mathematics) education for all via the district’s X-STREAM Learning Plan.

During the 2016-2017 school year, the robotics program in the Pass Christian Public School District was formed in the elementary school gifted classes. While the program was doing well for a beginner-level team, the robots being used were not top of the line. A DeLisle Elementary student, knowing that the team could be more competitive with better hardware and electronics, passionately advocated to community partners for support. After a presentation to the Pass Christian Rotary Club, a check in the amount of $2500.00 was awarded to support, expand, and update the robotics program at the elementary schools. With continued encouragement and support from the Pass Christian Rotary Club, the district has been able to expand the robotics team to include all eligible students in grade levels 4th-12th, in both general and gifted education. The Pass Christian Public School District Robotics Team has since taken home multiple awards at various local and state competitions including the Excellence, Design, Tournament Champions, and more. Ultimately, the VEX IQ elementary and VEX IQ & VRC middle school programs were recognized at the State
Championship by winning the Excellence Award, the highest award presented in the VEX Robotics competition. This award is presented to a team that exemplifies overall excellence in building a high-quality robotics program. The PCPSD teams that earned this award went on to compete in the VEX World Championship. One team won the Design award which is presented to a team that demonstrates an organized and professional approach to the design process, project and time management, and team organization.

With the generous support from the Pass Christian Rotary Club, not only was more innovative hardware and electronics purchased for the robotics program, but there was also a district-wide initiative, in concert with the Pass Christian Public School District’s beliefs and mission, to intentionally teach our students 21st century learning skills through the emphasis of STREAM (science, technology, reading, engineering, art, and mathematics) education for all via the district’s X-STREAM Learning Plan. As part of the X-STREAM
Learning Plan, every grade band has access to an instructional model that includes the importance of productive struggle and critical thinking through the use of collaborative and imagineering principles of design via robotics and makerspaces.

As a district, we have a belief that students excel when learning is a shared responsibility. Because a DeLisle Elementary School student was committed to that belief and acted upon it, a true school-
community partnership between the Pass Christian Public School District and the Pass Christian Rotary Club allows the district to prepare our Pirate Learners for careers that do not yet exist by ensuring that students leave the district as college and career ready learners with the ability to address real-world asymmetrical problems.