Imagine teenaged math and science students attending classes and doing projects in their very own special building! That is exactly what will happen in the Corona-Norco Unified School District (Riverside County) when the new Eastvale STEM Academy opens in 2018. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The school’s mission is to “prepare all students to be college and career ready in the STEM fields.” Although the academy is located on the campus of Eleanor Roosevelt High School, it is based on a “A School Within a School” model.
Members of the California Retired Teachers’ Association #71 (CalRTA—SGV) will learn more about the STEM Academy when Dr. Kim Lu Lawe, Director, speaks to the group. Dr. Lawe is a product of El Monte schools both as a student and a teacher. She earned a B. S. in Biology from the University of Redlands, a Master’s in Education at Cal Poly Pomona, and an Ed.D. in Education at Azusa Pacific. She has been a science teacher in El Monte schools and and high school administrator in the Corona-Norco USD.
The CalRTA #71 luncheon meeting will take place on Friday, June 9 at 11:30 a.m. at the Senior Center Building in Arcadia Park (county park), 405 W. Santa Anita Ave., Arcadia, next to the Lawn Bowling Greens. The cost of the luncheon for those who pay at the door is $13. As an alternative to the hot meal, a tuna salad is available. For luncheon reservations, please call John Gera at (626) 286-0714 by the June 2 deadline.
Membership in the California Retired Teachers’ Association is open to all retired educators, to current educators, and to any others interested in joining. CalRTA’s motto is “Your Partner in Pension Protections.”
Dr. Kim Lu Lawe is currently the Director of the Eastvale STEM Academy of Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Corona-Norco Unified School District. The mission and vision of the Eastvale STEM Academy is to offer a rigorous high school curriculum to prepare all students to be college and career ready in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematic (STEM) fields. Adopting “A School Within A School” model, the Eastvale STEM Academy is a school built on three founding principles: Access, Collaboration, and Partnership. It will house about 1,000 students and currently offers two STEM pathways: medical science and engineering and design.
Dr. Lawe is a product of the El Monte school systems. She attended 1st through 8th grades in the El Monte City School District (Cherrylee and Durfee) and then transitioned to the El Monte Union High School District where she attended Arroyo High School for all four years (Class of 1994). Following that, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of Redlands, California. Her plans of going pre-med changed during her undergraduate journey and she landed a job with the Department of Fish and Game upon graduation. She was encouraged to go into teaching so that she can work on her Masters. Dr. Lawe came back to the El Monte school systems and taught middle school science at Frank Wright Elementary School. During her second year of teaching, she was involved in a car collision that nearly ended her life, and she realized that teaching was her vocational calling. She spent the next decade teaching science at both the middle school and high school levels, ending at South El Monte High School. During this time, Dr. Lawe earned her Master of Arts in Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction at Cal Poly Pomona, California.
In 2010, Dr. Lawe transitioned into high school administration and has been with Corona-Norco Unified School District of Riverside County since. From high school assistant principal to now a principal and director, Dr. Lawe still has her focus and goals on ensuring that all students have access to a quality education. In 2016, Dr. Lawe earned her Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership in K-12 Education at Azusa Pacific University, California. Her research study focused on encouraging and increasing female participation and representation in STEM education (K-12 and postsecondary) and in the STEM workforce.
Dr. Lawe is married to her long-time best friend and high school sweetheart, Loren Lawe, whom she first met in third grade at Durfee School. Loren is an executive in the hotel and restaurant management industry, not straying too far from culinary. Both currently have a son who is 4-1/2 years old who loves animals, dinosaurs, and building Legos. Dr. Lawe’s father-in-law, Mr. Robert A. Lawe, is a retired teacher who taught within the El Monte City School District for over 30 years.