By CRA News Service

A Boca Raton teacher is among seven Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) educators who will work side-by-side with knowledgeable and skilled industry employees to help bring the classroom curriculum to life.

Jacklyn Carryl from West Boca Raton High School will join the other teachers in the month-long paid externship with five corporations. Carryl will work on creating and implementing earth space and astronomy/climatology programs at the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium.

Carryl could not be reached for comment. However Keith Oswald, the district’s interim Chief Academic Officer, said it is crucial that the district’s STEM curriculum matches what is happening in the real world.

“This program will give our teachers important experiences that they can bring back to their classes and to their colleagues, as well as strengthen the relationships between these businesses and our schools,” Oswald said in a news release.

The externships will provide the educators with the exposure to answer questions about real-world application, prepare students for careers they may have in the future, and improve educational experiences, officials said.

The STEM Externship Program, which begins Monday, July 6, is a joint partnership between the district and STEM businesses. Teachers will work 20 full-time days for a minimum of $150 a day, paid by the companies, on a variety of projects – from helping to establish Florida Power & Light’s Manatee Education Center in Riviera Beach to working with Florida Crystals’ agricultural researchers.

The teachers also will work with mentors from Palm Beach State College and Florida Atlantic University to help them incorporate the lessons from their externships into their classroom lessons.

The other educators are:

• Julius Guerra of Boynton Beach High School. Guerra will work with Florida Power & Light’s Information Management team, working with managers and learning about the company’s technology related to cyber security, wind business and network applications
• Dax Pacells of Forest Hill High School. He will be analyzing workers’ compensation data for use in products, services and research with the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI)
• Lorraine Plageman of Jupiter High School who will work with Lockheed Martin on modeling efforts on local government contracts
• William Rubin of Pahokee High School. Rubin will work with PhDs and agricultural researchers at Florida Crystals
• Rebecca Stanek of Royal Palm Beach High School. She will work with FPL’s Environmental Services group on the company’s new Manatee Viewing Center, and
• Amena Warrayat of Forest Hill High School. Warrayat will work with NCCI’s Financial Planning & Analysis group, which provides corporate budgeting, forecasting and operational analysis for all areas of NCCI.

The STEM Externship Program is the brainchild of the Palm Beach County STEM Education Council, which is comprised of local businesses, representatives from Florida Atlantic University, Palm Beach Atlantic University and Palm Beach State College, community members and district employees. The program is modeled after a similar effort in Iowa.