Notre Dame graduate student conducting project to shape SPS Educational Pathways
Posted on 08/21/2024
(SPS) -- As Sapulpa Public Schools' new, innovative Educational Pathways program begins for ninth grade students enrolled in the program, the district has the unique opportunity to partner with the University of Notre Dame.
A visionary design of Sapulpa Public Schools' Business and Entrepreneurship Educational Pathway is one of four projects graduate students from Notre Dame's noteworthy ESTEEM Graduate Program will conduct right here in Sapulpa.
Pictured above left: University of Notre Dame ESTEEM graduate student Ronnie Tushabe, center, with (left to right) Rob Armstrong, SPS Superintendent; Dr. Mindy Englett, Director of Educational Pathways; Ashley Tselee, College and Career Readiness Coordinator; Johnny Bilby, SPS Assistant Superintendent.
The ESTEEM program matches graduate students with companies and start-ups worldwide to collaborate on projects and engineer leading-edge solutions through Capstone projects. At the end of their projects, students will earn a Master of Science in Engineering, Science, and Technology Entrepreneurship Excellence.
According to the University of Notre Dame's website, "ESTEEM emphasizes the action of entrepreneurship, not just the study of it. Students from technical backgrounds are equipped with the skills and experience to launch new businesses, become innovators within large corporations, and be leaders of dynamic, innovative teams."
Sapulpa Public Schools is fortunate to be chosen for an ESTEEM Capstone project, through the district's partnership with SeneGence and the Make Sense Foundation.
Graduate students designing Capstone projects have worked with such companies as SpaceX, Intuit, Whirlpool, and Lenovo, according to Ellen Dutton, Notre Dame ESTEEM Curriculum and Capstone Adviser.
Dutton, one of several Notre Dame faculty members who accompanied the graduate students as they made their presentations in Sapulpa, said ESTEEM students' interests are aligned with proposed projects.
Learn more about the University of Notre Dame's ESTEEM program.
Sapulpa Public Schools matched with Notre Dame graduate student Ronard (Ronnie) Tushabe, who is originally from Uganda. Tushabe has closely analyzed Sapulpa Public Schools' Business and Educational Pathway. He will make recommendations on program curriculum and help the district put recommendations in motion to measure success.
"Sapulpa Public Schools is already moving as the world is moving," said Tushabe, as he presented his ideas to SPS administrators, Notre Dame advisors, and community leaders, during a visit to Sapulpa in August. "We must attract and retain students, and, most importantly, understand their interests."
Tushabe's Capstone project combines 50 stakeholder interviews, designing a technology platform and establishing a business and industry mentors network. He will then develop an evaluation tool to draw up the Business and Educational Pathway and measure its success, a formula which can also be applied to current and future Educational Pathways.
Sapulpa Public Schools' Superintendent Rob Armstrong thanked SeneGence and the Make Sense Foundation for their thoughtful investment to launch the Pathways program.
"We are incredibly fortunate to have the support of our community, our school board, SeneGence and the Make Sense Foundation," said Mr. Armstrong. "It's not often that you get to build a high school, and when you're able to do that along with re-designing your program: that's pretty special. We're designing a space that will move our district, our students, and our community forward."
Tushabe will work with Dr. Mindy Englett, the district's Director of Educational Pathways, and her team of coordinators which includes Ashley Tselee, College and Career Readiness Coordinator, and coordinators for each Educational Pathway: Business/Entrepreneurship, Performing Arts, and Engineering.
"This is an amazing opportunity. We're dreaming big and our kids deserve the very best," said Dr. Englett. "We want people to come to Sapulpa to see what's happening here. We want students to know we're giving them opportunities they will not get otherwise."
Current ninth grade students can enroll in courses designed for three Educational Pathways: Business/Entrepreneurship, which includes Business Innovations and Entrepreneurship; The Arts, including Visual and Performing Arts; and Engineering which includes both Engineering and Aviation.
RELATED:
Learn more about Educational Pathways.
See the new Educational Pathways opportunities for students at Sapulpa Public Schools.
University of Notre Dame faculty and students, SPS administrators, and representatives from SeneGence and the Make Sense Foundation, gathered to hear Capstone project ideas from Notre Dame ESTEEM graduate student Ronnie Tushabe.