Jun 30, 2020 | News
At BC STEM these past few months, we have witnessed our school spirit and Bearcat pride continuing to grow stronger. We are truly proud to see the ways that families and students supported one another and engaged with their teachers and peers to keep learning and connected during these uncertain times. What the BC STEM community has been able to build together in this past year is truly amazing. As we look forward to the 2020-21 school year, we are very excited to introduce TaShaune Harden as the new lead principal at Battle Creek STEM Innovation Center!
Ms. Harden is a Battle Creek native and Bearcat alumna, and we are thrilled to have her as the new leader at BC STEM, leading our staff and students into years two, three and beyond with more exciting opportunities and experiences to come.
She returns to BCPS with an impressive track record as an educational leader, and is eager to meet our BC STEM students and families. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and has a Master of Education in Educational Leadership & Administration from Concordia University – Ann Arbor.
For most of the past two decades, Ms. Harden has been a science teacher at Cesar Chavez Academy Middle School based in Detroit, serving a majority Hispanic community. We’re especially excited to have a new school leader who is fluent in Spanish. At her previous school, she was the president of her teachers’ union and takes great pride in being a mentor to other teachers. In our interviews with her, she demonstrated a strong community-driven approach and how she values parent and community engagement as an educator, and her references repeatedly spoke about her commitment to going far beyond what is required to get kids engaged in STEM learning.
In addition to welcoming Principal Harden, BC STEM is excited to also welcome three new teachers who will join us this fall to support our expanding program:
- Naomi Sarelis joins the BC STEM family as a science and english language arts teacher. Ms. Sarelis is a proud Kalamazoo native and recent graduate of Oakland University where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Biology for Secondary Education with an integrated Science endorsement and minor in English for Secondary Education.
- Carly Seeterlin joins the BC STEM team as a science teacher, and she will also be coaching the swim team. Carly recently received her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and Teaching Certification from Michigan State University – East Lansing. She is very passionate about science and can’t wait to get started!
- Dr. Sean Galvin joins BC STEM as a social studies teacher. Sean has already been part of the BCPS family, joining us from Northwestern Middle School where he taught geography. Dr. Galvin has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University, a master’s degree in education from the University of Michigan, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Eastern Michigan University.
- Dean Wheaton joins BC STEM as a math teacher. He brings 16 years of teaching experience with 15 of those years teaching middle school math. Dean earned his Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Memphis and his Master of Arts in Education from Union University.
- Sarah Thomas joins the team as a 7th grade math teacher. She received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics and secondary education from Grand Valley State University and a master's degree in educational leadership from Western Michigan University. She has spent time teaching in Arusha, Tanzania and Kalamazoo Public Schools. Most recently, she served for two years as an academic advisor for major exploration at WMU and is excited to return to the classroom at BC STEM.
Together, the BC STEM community has developed an educational experience that is rooted in hands-on project-based learning and strong relationships. We are grateful for our community and excited to move into another school year filled with new experiences and learning opportunities for our students!