School of Science and Technology
Encyclopedia
The School of Science and Technology (SST) is an accredited, public high school located in Beaverton, Oregon
, United States
. It is a magnet program
within Merlo Station High School
for students who have an interest in mathematics, life and physical sciences, and technology.
program called the School of Natural Resources Science and Technology, or NRST, in 1993. The school occupied an old warehouse, which was renovated a few months before the program's opening. The name was eventually shortened to School of Science and Technology (SST)
, and 1% are enrolled in ESL
. 31% were enrolled in TAG in middle or elementary school, significantly higher than the 11% district average. The state of Oregon has consistently rated SST "outstanding" in its annual report card. http://www.beaverton.k12.or.us/home/schools/merlo/science-and-technology-detailed-snapshot/
The average SAT
score was 602 in critical reading, 620 in math, and 569 in writing. Of the 41 graduating students in 2005, 38 graduated with their Certificate of Initial Mastery
. http://www.ode.state.or.us/data/reportcard/RCpdfs/07/07-ReportCard-1314.pdf
SST is often defined as a nerd school and SSTer's take this label with pride. Hallway conversations about histroy, science, politics, and technology are commonplace. A significant percentage of students bring personal laptops to school on a daily basis. During lunchtime, common activities include sports (mainly Basketball, Soccer, and Frisbee), card games (Yugioh, Magic, and Poker), hand held games (DS, PSP), and computer games.
simplified the application process to a single "option school" application. This removed the essays and the interview from the application process. Due to the controversy of the change in application process, the Beaverton School District modified their new system to allow 15% of students to be accepted based on talent or sibling status, while the other 85% would continue to use the streamlined application.
This new application process is a point of controversy among students, who hold one of two points of view. The first is that the new, incoming students, will not be weeded out from the harder application, which before the change, meant that only students that wanted to attend would be accepted to SST. They fear that the attitude of students who are accepted into SST, by the easier application, will change the unique culture that they have grown accustomed to. The second opinion is that SST will gain new life from the potential "flood" of new students who were put off by the old application process. Students of this line of thought use the fact that the class of 2010 turned out to be much smaller than any of the other classes in recent history, presumably from lack of applicants under the old application process. This was a result of the teachers being unable to promote SST to as many 8th graders students. The new application process arguably better promotes SST to incoming freshmen.
and tours is promoted.
Beaverton, Oregon
Beaverton is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley.As of the 2010 census, the population is 90,267. This makes it the second-largest city in the county and Oregon's sixth-largest city...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is a magnet program
Magnet school
In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...
within Merlo Station High School
Merlo Station High School
Merlo Station High School is a public high school located in Beaverton, Oregon, United States. It is considered an "options" high school, meaning that it houses several different scholarly magnet programs that differ from "traditional" high schools. This allows Merlo Station to meet many different...
for students who have an interest in mathematics, life and physical sciences, and technology.
History
SST began as a Certificate of Initial MasteryCertificate of Initial Mastery
The Certificate of Mastery was created by report "America's Choice: High Skills or Low Wages". The CIM has been called an outcome-based education diploma as it would be either be necessary to receive or replace the high school diploma, and was characteristic of education reform legislation in many...
program called the School of Natural Resources Science and Technology, or NRST, in 1993. The school occupied an old warehouse, which was renovated a few months before the program's opening. The name was eventually shortened to School of Science and Technology (SST)
Students
As of February 2011, 58% of students were Caucasian, 24% Asian or Pacific Islander, 8% Hispanic, 0% American Indian, 1% Black, and 7% fit into multiple categories. 21% are on free or reduced lunch, 14% are eligible for special educationSpecial education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
, and 1% are enrolled in ESL
English language learning and teaching
English as a second language , English for speakers of other languages and English as a foreign language all refer to the use or study of English by speakers with different native languages. The precise usage, including the different use of the terms ESL and ESOL in different countries, is...
. 31% were enrolled in TAG in middle or elementary school, significantly higher than the 11% district average. The state of Oregon has consistently rated SST "outstanding" in its annual report card. http://www.beaverton.k12.or.us/home/schools/merlo/science-and-technology-detailed-snapshot/
The average SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
score was 602 in critical reading, 620 in math, and 569 in writing. Of the 41 graduating students in 2005, 38 graduated with their Certificate of Initial Mastery
Certificate of Initial Mastery
The Certificate of Mastery was created by report "America's Choice: High Skills or Low Wages". The CIM has been called an outcome-based education diploma as it would be either be necessary to receive or replace the high school diploma, and was characteristic of education reform legislation in many...
. http://www.ode.state.or.us/data/reportcard/RCpdfs/07/07-ReportCard-1314.pdf
Schedule
The following is a typical daily schedule at SST. Focus is a time for study-hall, socializing, and announcements.| Period | Time |
|---|---|
| Period 1 | 7:35AM - 8:25AM |
| Period 2 | 8:30AM - 9:20AM |
| Focus | 9:25AM - 10:00AM |
| Period 3 | 10:05AM - 10:55AM |
| Period 4 | 11:00AM - 11:50AM |
| Lunch | 11:50AM - 12:25PM |
| Period 5 | 12:25PM - 1:15PM |
| Period 6 | 1:20PM - 2:10PM |
Culture
Being a small school, SST has a very close knit environment. Students get to know most of their peers as the year progresses. Though most students have a group of friends they generally hang around, intermingling between these groups is commonplace.SST is often defined as a nerd school and SSTer's take this label with pride. Hallway conversations about histroy, science, politics, and technology are commonplace. A significant percentage of students bring personal laptops to school on a daily basis. During lunchtime, common activities include sports (mainly Basketball, Soccer, and Frisbee), card games (Yugioh, Magic, and Poker), hand held games (DS, PSP), and computer games.
Clubs
Clubs that take place in SST or consist primarily of SST students include Robotics, Drama, Mock Trial, M.U.N (Model United Nations), Hub (newspaper), Green Club, Leadership, and Yearbook. Science fair was once mandatory for lowers (9/10th grades), but starting in 2008, it became optional. Despite this, SST still boasts one of the most competitive science fair programs in the Northwest Science Expo.Application Process
Until 2007, students who wished to apply were required to follow an application process which involved writing three essays and an interview from one of the SST teachers. However, in effect from 2007-2008 onward, the Beaverton School DistrictBeaverton School District
The Beaverton School District is a school district in suburban Beaverton and Portland, Oregon, United States. The Beaverton Elementary School District 48 was established in 1876, with other elementary districts later merged into the district. The elementary district was later merged with the high...
simplified the application process to a single "option school" application. This removed the essays and the interview from the application process. Due to the controversy of the change in application process, the Beaverton School District modified their new system to allow 15% of students to be accepted based on talent or sibling status, while the other 85% would continue to use the streamlined application.
This new application process is a point of controversy among students, who hold one of two points of view. The first is that the new, incoming students, will not be weeded out from the harder application, which before the change, meant that only students that wanted to attend would be accepted to SST. They fear that the attitude of students who are accepted into SST, by the easier application, will change the unique culture that they have grown accustomed to. The second opinion is that SST will gain new life from the potential "flood" of new students who were put off by the old application process. Students of this line of thought use the fact that the class of 2010 turned out to be much smaller than any of the other classes in recent history, presumably from lack of applicants under the old application process. This was a result of the teachers being unable to promote SST to as many 8th graders students. The new application process arguably better promotes SST to incoming freshmen.
Shadowing
All applicants to the School of Science and Technology are encouraged to shadow a current student for a day. This allows the applicant to see the school in its entirety, and to see a "day in the life" of an average student. This enables them to make the most informed decision regarding their application. If an applicant decides to shadow, he or she is assigned to a student of the same gender, same middle school, and a similar grade, as the shadow. In addition to shadowing, attendance to both school open housesOpen House (common school event)
An "open house", or as it is more often called "Open Day", is an event held at an institution where its doors are open to the general public to allow people to have a look around it in order to gain information on it...
and tours is promoted.