Wilson STEM Academy Wins Big With Career Fair Filled With The Next Generation Of Leaders 

On Friday, May 17th, Wilson STEM Academy recently hosted its annual career fair to highlight and collaborate with the school's sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade scholars, providing them with the tools and knowledge needed to achieve success in the future.

Principal Patrice M. McCauley invited The Quintessential Gentleman and other amazing presenters to not only educate but also inspire the next generation of leaders as they continue to grow academically and navigate through life. With the school’s motto being “It’s GAME Time: Let's W.I.N.,” students were able to do just that as they came into the multipurpose room eager to learn!

The career fair allowed students to interact with entrepreneurs, collegiate staff members, licensed mental health professionals and a plethora of other career-driven individuals. Principal McCauley and staff created an environment that was conducive to learning while also allowing that same environment to be a safe place where students could express what their career goals were.

"Wilson STEM Academy’s vision was on full display throughout the event, as the staff proved their dedication to creating a student-centered learning environment that prepares students to be both college and career-ready for the 21st century. Last year, the school saw growth as 96% of its scholars met or exceeded their growth percentile in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district.

As the career fair continued throughout the day, each student had a Wilson STEM Academy Career Fair Passport (questionnaire) in which they were advised to visit each workstation in which they were interested. The students also had to ask a series of questions about the job and even the job requirements needed to pursue certain career paths. A key takeaway from the event was how methodical the staff was in allowing the students to visit workstations of their choice. That allowed each student to focus on what career path they could see themselves pursuing and it made it a lot more personable. 

What stood out the most during the career fair was the school's success rate and significant improvement over the last two years as it pertains to academic improvement along with exceeding the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district's metrics.

For example, Wilson STEM Academy had 75% of their scholars meet or exceed their overall projected percentile during the 2022-2023 school year. Another achievement consisted of exceeding the district Math 1 pass rate of 45% by achieving a pass rate of 100%. Last year, the school even met growth as 96% of its scholars met or exceeded their growth percentile, which was no easy feat. While the students were there to learn from the presenters such as myself and others, we were the ones blown away by their academic accomplishments.

Wilson STEM Academy’s mission is for scholars and staff to engage collectively to create successful scholars through consistent instructional practices. Those practices have emerged tremendously this school year from a combination of the school's STEM and AVID programs, along with a dedicated staff who has been willing to nurture and help develop the minds of young scholars.

Partnering with Wilson STEM Academy was much more than a learning event, but was an event created by a goal-driven principal and staff who’s committed to helping all students dream big but most importantly WIN!