As we plan for STEM we also keep in mind our students and their families. We ensure that all students have ample opportunities to participate in activities that would enhance our STEM program as it grows deeper within the curriculum. Beaufort Elementary provides STEM learning opportunities both during and after school throughout the year. For several years now, students have participated in the "Hour of Code" program. STEM night occurs yearly. It is an evening of sharing information about STEM with parents and explains ways that they can create STEM experiences at home. At this event we have an engineering challenge that allows families to communicate and work together to solve a problem. Additionally, Joe Ryan, from the SC Division of Internet Crimes Against Children & Cybersafety presented to our families about cybersafety during yearly school Community Nights.

Beaufort Elementary School also incorporates community outreach when possible. They host an annual STEM Career Fair where community stakeholders provide real-world learning opportunities to share STEM careers and experiences with students. Our school's float showcased STEM learning during the Christmas parade. We keep our community stakeholders informed about Holiday STEM events and highlight lessons taking place in classrooms through our Facebook page, school newsletter, and Twitter.

Strengths
Due to our dedication to STEM education, the budget is designed in order to support the school’s STEM needs. We utilize common events that other schools have and organize them with a STEM emphasis. For example, we traditionally have a career fair but now we plan it through a STEM lens. We intentionally organize grade level field trips that are STEM related and provide a range of experiences for our students.
Sustainability
The dedication of SIC members, the school leadership team, and guidance department to the area of STEM will enable us to continue our initiatives of field trips, STEM night, and STEM career fairs. We will continue to dedicate funds to support STEM in our building. We continue to communicate in multiple ways with stakeholders. We have a parent liaison that works hard to keep parents notified. Our Facebook page is another way that we communicate with stakeholders.
Challenges
While our active stakeholders participate in decisions regarding STEM expenditures, we would like to have more community involvement in the planning stages of our STEM experiences.
Continuous Improvement
While we have staff members who have been in place through the process of expanding STEM, we need to establish closer connections with members of the community for planning purposes. While we have consistent members of the community, such as Fripp Audubon, that have planned STEM experiences with our teachers over several years, we need to expand this group to provide more variety of experiences and utilize their connections to continue to expand opportunities for our students.