HIGHLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL

Highland Middle School is part of Anderson Community School Corporation, located in Anderson, Indiana. The school serves approximately 916 students in grades 7–8 within a diverse and student-centered learning community. Highland Middle School is committed to supporting academic growth, personal development, and student achievement through engaging instruction, meaningful relationships, and opportunities for exploration and leadership.

What STEM means at Highland Middle School

At Highland Middle School, we envision a future where every student experiences STEM as a pathway to discovery, confidence, and purpose. As part of Anderson Community School Corporation, Highland will build on its diverse, student-centered learning community by creating hands-on, inquiry-driven experiences that connect academic learning to real-world problem solving, leadership, and future opportunities.

We are committed to helping students grow as critical thinkers, collaborators, communicators, and resilient learners. Through engaging instruction, project-based learning, exploration, and meaningful relationships, Highland students will strengthen the durable skills needed for success in high school, careers, enlistment, and lifelong learning. This direction aligns with Indiana’s emphasis on real-world learning, career readiness, student agency, and durable skills.

Highland Middle School will serve as a place where students are known, supported, challenged, and empowered to lead. STEM learning will provide students with opportunities to investigate questions, design solutions, apply creativity, and see themselves as innovators who can make a positive impact in Anderson and beyond.

Through strong school, family, and community partnerships, Highland will continue expanding opportunities for students to explore interests, connect learning to future pathways, and develop the confidence to pursue high-demand, high-growth careers.

What makes our STEM program stand out

Building Future Innovators Through PLTW

At Highland Middle School in Anderson Community Schools, students are actively engaged in hands-on STEM learning through Project Lead The Way (PLTW) experiences that encourage creativity, collaboration, and real-world problem solving. Students participate in engineering, robotics, and technology-focused courses where they design projects, build prototypes, explore circuitry, and develop solutions through inquiry-based learning. Classroom experiences include disassembling and rebuilding desktop computers to identify hardware components, constructing and testing electrical circuits that power lights, motors, and speakers, and creating models that demonstrate mechanical advantage and engineering design principles. Students also work with tools and technologies such as Snap Circuits, K’NEX, Sphero robotics, drones, and 3D printing to bring ideas to life while developing confidence in STEM concepts and innovation.

These PLTW opportunities help students connect classroom learning to future careers while building durable skills such as communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and perseverance. Highland Middle School’s STEM experiences are intentionally designed to move beyond traditional instruction by immersing students in collaborative, project-based challenges that mirror real-world engineering and technology fields. Through these experiences, students are not only learning technical skills but also discovering future pathways in engineering, computer science, robotics, and advanced manufacturing. Highland’s commitment to expanding STEM opportunities continues to create meaningful experiences that prepare students for success in high school, college, careers, and beyond.

Expanding STEM Opportuntiies Through Community Partnerships

Highland Middle School continues to expand STEM opportunities for students through strong partnerships with local industries, higher education institutions, and community organizations. Collaborations with Purdue Polytechnic Institute Anderson, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, MADJAX Maker Force, and regional STEM partners have provided students with access to hands-on experiences in robotics, drone technology, coding, engineering design, agriculture, and career-focused STEM enrichment programs. These opportunities allow students to engage with real-world technology and learn directly from industry and university professionals.

Through robotics workshops, drone piloting challenges, LEGO robotics programming, engineering activities, and career exploration programs, students gain valuable problem-solving, teamwork, and critical thinking skills while exploring future STEM pathways. Highland Middle School’s commitment to community partnerships helps create authentic learning experiences that inspire curiosity, strengthen career awareness, and prepare students for future success in STEM fields.

VEX Robotics

Highland Middle School is creating exciting opportunities for students through its growing VEX Robotics Club, where students work collaboratively to design, build, program, and compete with robots in real-world engineering challenges. Through the VEX Robotics experience, students gain hands-on exposure to robotics engineering, coding, mechanical design, problem-solving, and teamwork while participating in one of the nation’s leading student robotics programs. Students learn how to apply STEM concepts in competitive environments that encourage creativity, perseverance, leadership, and innovation.

The VEX Robotics Club provides students with opportunities to compete against teams from across the state while developing technical and career-ready skills connected to engineering, computer science, automation, and advanced manufacturing. Participants gain experience using engineering notebooks, iterative design processes, robot construction, programming, and strategic thinking while building confidence through collaboration and competition. Highland Middle School’s investment in robotics opportunities continues to expand student engagement in STEM and helps inspire the next generation of innovators, engineers, and technology leaders.