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AUGUST 13 – 19, 2026
Turning science students into problem solvers BELIEVE Academy helps students discover the scientist within
By Lauren Marisol Preston St. Louis American BELIEVE Academy science teacher Seyi Akoko can trace his love of science back to a seventh-grade classroom. Curious about a lesson on evaporation, he went home and mixed BELIEVE Academy salt with in an is a pub- water attempt to lic charrecreate the experiment ter high for himself. school expercentered His iment may on health have gotten sciences. him into trouble at home, but it also ignited a lifelong curiosity that ultimately led him back to the classroom, this time as the teacher. This fall, Akoko hopes his students will discover that same sense of wonder as BELIEVE Academy launches its first year in the Science Coach program, a national initiative that helps teachers bring authentic scientific research into the classroom. “I see my students becoming problem solvers,” Akoko said.
Photo by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American
Cassidy Watson, Class of 2027, works on a hands on manufacturing project at Clyde C. Miller Career Academy.
From Legos to graduate school Clyde C. Miller engineering program helps student turn childhood curiosity into a path toward engineering By Lauren Marisol Preston For The St. Louis American Photo courtesy of BELIEVE Academy
BELIEVE Academy science teacher Seyi Akoko (center right) participates in a plant identification and field research workshop led by Ben Martin (right), a lead teacher at Little Creek in the Ferguson-Florissant School District, during the Science Coach Academy at the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kansas. Akoko attended the summer training before bringing hands-on research experiences to students at BELIEVE Academy this fall. BELIEVE Academy, a public charter high school centered on health sciences, is joining 16 middle and high schools participating in
the Science Coach program across the St. Louis metro region this school year. Supported through the school’s partnership with
BJC, Akoko spent part of his summer at the Science Coach Academy at the
As a child, Camille White rarely sat still. She loved building with Legos, could solve a Rubik’s Cube in less than a minute and spent her summers in robotics camps. Her mother, a math teacher, intentionally sought out opportunities to nurture her daughters’ curiosity, while her father, a chemist, encouraged an early love of science. Camille and her twin sister both gravitated toward STEM, eventually attending different historically Black
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Suited for success
A tailor assists incoming Washington University freshman Ivan Wilson during a custom suit fitting. The tailored suit was designed to help prepare Wilson for internships, interviews and other professional opportunities.
Community helps students step confidently into their next chapter
By Lauren Marisol Preston St. Louis American In just a few days, Ivan Wilson will pack up his dorm room essentials and move into Washington University as a freshman with dreams of becoming a lawyer. Alongside his books, laptop and bedding will be something he’s never owned before — a custom-made suit. When Wilson slipped into it for the first time this
“This is my first suit. Receiving this means there’s a community.” – Ivan Wilson
summer, he didn’t just see a new outfit staring back at him in the mirror. “I felt like a star,” he
said. For many students, back-to-school shopping means notebooks, backpacks and dorm supplies. For Wilson, one of the most meaningful additions to his college wardrobe came from a community determined to help him begin this next chapter with confidence. “This is my first suit,” Wilson said. “Receiving
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Photo by Videll Philip