--- title: Whitesburg Elementary Becomes First School in Georgia to Earn National Certificate for STEM Excellence from National Institute for STEM Education description: Whitesburg Elementary Becomes First School in Georgia to Earn National Certificate for STEM Excellence from National Institute for STEM Education --- [![National Institute for STEM Education](https://blog.nise.institute/hubfs/NISE_August2019%20Theme/img/logo-nise.png "National Institute for STEM Education - Go to Home Page") ](http://nise.institute/index.php) # [NISE](http://nise.institute/index.php) [ Get STEM Certified! ](http://webstore.nise.institute/) [* * ](https://www.facebook.com/NISE.STEM/) [* * ](https://twitter.com/NISE_STEM) [* * ](https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-institute-for-stem-education) - About NISE - [Program Overview](https://nise.institute/program-overview.php) - [Philosophy & Design](https://nise.institute/philosophy-and-design.php) - [Research](https://nise.institute/resources/nise_stem_observation_protocol_teacher_actions_that_matter_wp.pdf) - Certification - [Micro Certification](https://nise.institute/micro-certification.php) - [Teacher Certification](https://nise.institute/teacher-certification.php) - [Campus Certification](https://nise.institute/campus-district-certification.php) - University Partnerships - [SNHU Graduate Programs](https://nise.institute/#university-partnerships) - [ACE Graduate Programs](https://nise.institute/#ace) - Resources - [News](https://nise.institute/news.php) - [Blog](https://blog.nise.institute/) - About NISE - [Program Overview](https://nise.institute/program-overview.php) - [Philosophy & Design](https://nise.institute/philosophy-and-design.php) - [Research](https://nise.institute/resources/nise_stem_observation_protocol_teacher_actions_that_matter_wp.pdf) - Certification - [Micro Certification](https://nise.institute/micro-certification.php) - [Teacher Certification](https://nise.institute/teacher-certification.php) - [Campus Certification](https://nise.institute/campus-district-certification.php) - University Partnerships - [SNHU Graduate Programs](https://nise.institute/#university-partnerships) - [ACE Graduate Programs](https://nise.institute/#ace) - Resources - [News](https://nise.institute/news.php) - [Blog](https://blog.nise.institute/) # Whitesburg Elementary Becomes First School in Georgia to Earn National Certificate for STEM Excellence from National Institute for STEM Education Posted by [Whitney Dove](https://blog.nise.institute/author/whitney-dove) on May 11, 2018 10:48:27 AM - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) *Rural, Title I school in Carroll County earns certification integrating the most recent research and best practices in STEM, 21st century learning, and professional development * [Whitesburg Elementary School](http://wes.carrollcountyschools.com/), a rural, Title I school in the Carroll County School System, is the first school in Georgia to earn the [National Certificate for STEM Excellence](http://nise.institute/campus-district-certification.php) from the [National Institute for STEM Education](http://nise.institute/) (NISE). The National Certificate for STEM Excellence recognizes individual school campuses for their commitment to and growth in teacher's implementation of 21st century and STEM strategies. "Children in our community will have to compete with children who have very different experiences and levels of opportunity. We want to ensure that our students are college and career ready, and provide them with skills to be prepared for jobs that don't even exist yet," said Marissa Ogando, principal of Whitesburg Elementary. "NISE not only supports our vision, but it integrates perfectly with what we're already doing, so it's not just 'one more thing to do.' It has given us new strategies, tools, and modalities to meet the Common Core standards and deliver our content in a more effective way." With the support of an experienced STEM coach, five Whitesburg teachers completed the National Certificate in STEM teaching (NCST), while the school concurrently completed its requirements for the National Certificate in STEM Excellence-Campus Certificate (NCSE). "NISE is competency-based. It provides a clear, consistent professional learning path and we absolutely loved the certification process," said Ogando. "It gave us a new way to look at how we were delivering instruction so we could become better at facilitating students' learning. Now our students own the learning, and we're helping them develop the skills they'll need to succeed in college and careers."   ### Subscribe Here! ### Recent Posts ### Posts by Tag - [Making Online Instruction Work - Now! 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[ Get STEM Certified! ](http://webstore.nise.institute/) ![National Institute for STEM Education](https://blog.nise.institute/hubfs/NISE_August2019%20Theme/img/logo-nise.png "National Institute for STEM Education - logo") ## What NISE STEM Certified Teachers Are Saying The NISE campus certification experience has been extremely valuable to our district as we continue to grow our STEM program. ** Ian Frank, Assistant Superintendent, and Lindsay Windatt, Elementary Assistant Principal ** Cincinnati College Preparatory Academy The NCSE process has helped transform three of our campuses from a condition of STEM awareness to that of STEM excellence. ** Pam Walker, K-12 STEM Coordinator ** Douglas County School District, Georgia The NISE campus certification has given our schools a foundation to support STEM implementation. We appreciate the coaches making the sessions easy, stress free and interesting. We are following up with the STEM best practices throughout the schools and encourage our teachers to continue on the path that NISE has started us on. The NISE process is well thought out, easy to understand and with the guidance of our coach, an extremely pleasant experience. ** Cat Morgan, District Elementary STEAM Specialist ** Longview ISD, Texas The campus certification process has allowed our leadership team to identify areas of strength and refinement for our campus as we seek to develop future ready learners. We believe that aligning our instructional practices with the 15 STEM Teacher Actions will definitely help us to reach this vision for our students. ** Danielle Record, Principal ** Pink Elementary, Frisco ISD, Texas NCSE streamlined the development of STEM education sustainability and growth catered to our learning community. ** Phil Johnston, STEM Coordinator ** Central High School, Grand Junction, Colorado Working through the campus certification has been one of the most impacting experiences we have undergone as a STEAM Academy. It has provided our team a deeper understanding of STEM education, provided our teachers with specific teacher actions to help them attain higher student achievement, and helped create a culture of responsible thinking and teaching. ** Elsa Lambert, Principal ** Raul Garza STEAM Academy, San Benito ISD, Texas - About NISE - [Program Overview](https://nise.institute/program-overview.php) - [Philosophy & Design](https://nise.institute/philosophy-and-design.php) - [Research](https://nise.institute/resources/nise_stem_observation_protocol_teacher_actions_that_matter_wp.pdf) - Certification - [Micro Certification](https://nise.institute/micro-certification.php) - [Teacher Certification](https://nise.institute/teacher-certification.php) - [Campus Certification](https://nise.institute/campus-district-certification.php) - University Partnerships - [SNHU Graduate Programs](https://nise.institute/#university-partnerships) - [ACE Graduate Programs](https://nise.institute/#ace) - Resources - [News](https://nise.institute/news.php) - [Blog](https://blog.nise.institute/) [* * ](https://www.facebook.com/NISE.STEM/) [* * ](https://twitter.com/NISE_STEM) [* * ](https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-institute-for-stem-education) - Support: 800.531.0864 - Fax: 281.833.4510 - [support@nise.institute ](mailto:support@nise.institute) - [Terms and Conditions ](http://nise.institute/terms-and-conditions.php) - © 2019 [Accelerate Learning ](http://www.stemscopes.com/?__hstc=125739797.78144e289a43c1599a436f7c838581f7.1565929192840.1565929192840.1565933173864.2&__hssc=125739797.20.1565933173864&__hsfp=3899845357)