The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Rockingham County Schools have proposed a new partnership to bring a "lab school" to Moss Elementary School starting fall of 2018.
If approved, the school will be one of nine schools created over the next two years under North Carolina state legislation. It would bring new teaching techniques and experiential learning to approximately 400 students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
UNCG Dean of Education, Randy Penfield said students will have a lot to gain from a curriculum that focuses on science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics.
"The focus on the STEAM area, it meets a particular need that we have in that particular community now in positioning students to excel in these areas moving forward," he said.
The school will also emphasize hands-on learning.
"Of course they'll be learning, but the way in which they'll be learning will be in a very experiential manner," Penfield said.
Rockingham County School Superintendent Rodney Shotwell said the partnership is a win-win for everyone involved.
"This will create a wave of new opportunity, usher in new ideas and techniques, and introduce new resources to our community," he said. "With the pressures we face in serving our students through the public school system, partnerships like this are not only desirable, but essential. The Moss Street location will enable us to deliver an incredible new educational experience to hundreds of Rockingham County students.”