A biome is defined as a specific environment that’s home to living things suited for that place and climate.
As a desert biome supports sagebrush and cacti, snakes and lizards, the Biome School supports diverse academic needs and abilities of its students in an educational ecosystem.
The Biome School in the Central West End opened in 2015 to engage children in an individualized and challenging learning environment. This charter school is sponsored by the University of Missouri-St. Louis and presently serves youngsters in grades K-3. Plans are to grow one grade at a time, eventually operating as a K-8 school by 2022.
The Biome is an offshoot of the Youth Learning Center (YLC), a non-profit organization established in 2003. For 14 years, YLC operated summer and afterschool STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) programs for grades 1-10. Organizers locally decided on a different approach.
“Internally, we debated the merits of opening a charter public school and finally committed when we realized we needed more time and a stronger relationship with parents to make a difference in the lives of children,” said Bill Kent, president and CEO for The Biome and YLC.
The aim is to build each student’s intelligence and character. Moreover, each student is expected to meet or exceed grade-level expectations as defined by state and/or national standards, to become a reader and writer, and develop socially and emotionally.
This is accomplished by using STEAM as a cross-curricular approach to learning.
“All forms of art play a vital role in STEAM, but especially communication arts, which we define as reading, writing and speaking,” Kent said. “An innovation or idea that cannot be communicated verbally, in written form, or visually has no value. The arts serve as a foundation for everything they learn. Building that strong foundation will allow our students to fully participate in the opportunities provided at the Biome.”
Kent describes Biome instructors as self-directed learners who are resilient, creative, compassionate and ethical.
“They must exhibit the same qualities that they are working to develop in our students,” Kent said.
In the Biome’s symbiotic relationship, parents are an integral part of their children’s education. Parents are encouraged to volunteer as room parents, become active in the Parent-Teacher Organization, or suggest other ways to get involved beyond what they do in the home.
So far this year, the school has hosted a back-to-school picnic in Forest Park, the first Literacy Morning (one Friday morning per month, parents and school stakeholders visit classrooms to read one-on-one or in small groups with the children), a Parent Education Night, and Family Night at the Saint Louis Zoo.
The Biome has created “pop-up micro-school” partnerships with community organizations and businesses to expand educational experiences for its students. Its location near an area rich in cultural and history, as well as research hospitals, universities and a rapidly developing innovation corridor, Kent said, should enhance the school’s ability to form meaningful partnerships. The prime focus has been its partnership with the St. Louis Zoo.
During last year’s pilot program, students met with zookeepers and nutritionists, and studied animals and zoo operations. A pre-project visit to the zoo and a month spent on related literacy, math and science helped to prepare the students. Kent hopes to attract additional funds to support expansion and more partnerships.
Kent said that the students who have attended since the school’s opening have demonstrated a marked confidence both academically and emotionally.
“We work on all academic facets, but pay special attention to literacy, which is critical at this early age and sets a foundation for learning in all other disciplines,” Kent said. “Children who came to us as nonreaders are ending the school year at or closer to their appropriate age level.”
Last year alone, assessment testing revealed about 20 percent of Biome students began the year proficient in reading, and ended the year with 59 percent reading proficiency.
Emotionally, Kent noted that youngsters who started out displaying severe acting-out behaviors grew to learn how to articulate their feelings in lieu of acting out. They also move about the building independently and are not shy about sharing their knowledge or skills with other students.
Because the Biome is a charter school, there is no tuition charge to attend. It is open to all youngsters. If more applications are submitted than seats available, a lottery is conducted to determine who will be allowed to enroll. After-school care, which is connected to a student’s day experience, also is offered.
For more information, visit www.thebiomeschool.org.
