The Academy for Science and Design Receives STEM Donation

The trustees of the Michael St. John Memorial fund made a substantial donation to the Academy for Science and Design to be used towards a much needed science lab.

Michael St. John was a science teacher in the Nashua school district for 35 years, before his retirement in 2004. St. John had a passion for teaching and believed being different was the only way. A student-driven approach was a big part of his teaching style, he wanted to be seen as a coach and not a teacher and to put the focus on his students. His guidance and methodologies empowered students to choose their own path and to take responsibility for their own learning. This motivated them to want to learn more. St. John believed that learning should be a fun and interactive process and often referred to learning as a journey.

As a teacher, St. John founded Mi-Ker Education Strategies and co-developed “A Learning System for Today’s Classroom.” Pauline Caron who worked with St. John for 26 years said in a Nashua Telegraph article in 2005 that “He was on the cutting edge of education. We sent him to a conference in California and he ended up lecturing there because what he was doing was far and away ahead of everyone else.” St. John died of cancer on November 3, 2005 at the age of 59.

New Hampshire faces a critical shortage of students who develop and sustain their interest in STEM fields from elementary school through college. The Academy for Science and Design (ASD), the state’s top-performing public school and largest STEM-specialty school, is aimed at expanding students’ interest and ability in STEM locally and statewide.