Truthful R.
Consider some things before attending here...
My experience at this school most certainly could have been better. I will give both my ups and downs, because while I did not enjoy my time here, there will always be parts that could have been worse. Let us start with the rather positive side. Certain teachers made my time here much better, such as Ms. Griffiths (7-8th grade Math instructor). Going to math has never been exactly something I'm excited for. I personally, do not like math- at all, really. But when it was time to go to math class at Steam, it was always a joy. While the kids could certainly be overwhelming, Ms. G always made sure we were learning and she never gave up with teaching. She made learning fun and helped us learn and prepare for the next grade right on level. Some of the school lunches also were relatively good, specifically the salads, taco Tuesdays, and bosco sticks. Other than those I was not a huge fan of the school lunches. The academics were pretty good; we stayed on level and occasionally tested the waters with lessons for our next year. But now moving on with academics, it was extremely easy to become drained and lose all motivation. We constantly did OAT practice testing, which yes, helped with our state tests coming up, but it felt redundant when we began to do them consistently without any improvement only halfway through the year. Another not so great part about going class to class in middle school is that you are treated like an elementary grade student. You are walked class to class, no independence, no trust. While that may be slightly reasonable for today's economy, it is insensible considering that when we move on to high school, that will no longer be the case. Imagine that you had been going there your whole life and that had become your normal. Imagine the pure culture shock when you do, eventually, move on past grade school? Continuing on with my rant, let us talk about the state of the building. There are cockroaches, smaller roaches, ants, and most likely other infestations bugs throughout the building. I have seen roaches crawl out from underneath water fountains while trying to get a drink. Truely unsanitary if you were to ask me. The building is on the older side, but I feel as though some maintenance would do the school much good. One more positive thing with that is that though the building quality is underwhelming, most of the money that would have gone to that cause goes to the students. Field trips, sporting events, plenty of festivities and dances, you name it. The dean, Ms. Taylor for the older grades is a wonderful and loving lady, along with the Principal Mrs. Thomas. I personally didn't get to experience the other deans but according to the grape vine they all are talked of positively! There are in school counselors, which truly do help in my opinion. My recommendation is to look into what type of education your child needs, what type of people you want your child around, and other options if you really want to be sure on the school they are sent to. I will say that the Special Education instructors here do help, and they have wonderful programs and clubs at Steam. Thank you for listening to my review, TruthfulReviewer Out!