The Windsor Central School District is awarded the National School Boards Association Magna Silver Prize, which honors programs within school districts that show exemplary innovation in education.

"The award really is representative of the dedicated and innovative staff that we have here at Windsor and we are certainly very proud of the STEM program that we have. But the power of the program really comes back to our people," said Scott Beattie, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction at Windsor Central School District.

Since its start in 2017, the students on average had higher scores in STEM field-related tests.

The teachers are the program's driving force, but the students are the ones who ultimately benefit.

"What we're doing is important in developing strong scientists and engineers at the high school level and giving these kids an opportunity to enter careers where they're going to have twice the earning power and potential that they would in other careers," said Engineering Teacher Eileen Mulcahy-Lachance.

Students from every grade in the elementary participate in STEM classes, exploring sciences, computing, engineering, and coding.

Kids learn important life skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, and communication with peers.

WSCD Science Teacher Deb Kalaivoda says, "I'm really, really proud of our program and it's nice to have other people see our program and recognize it as being something pretty spectacular. I know it's good because I'm here and I love it and I'm really thankful that I have the opportunity to do this."

Beattie says the key to the success of the program, is the desire to see the students succeed past academics and into their future careers.

"Our vision is that we want to be the district of choice and really, be world-class in terms of the programs that we offer to our kids and to our community, understanding that we have a higher purpose than just graduation rate and test scores," said Beattie.

The district is just one of six districts with under 5,000 students in the nation, to win the award.

They are also the first district to win the Magna Grand Prize and the Magna Silver Prize in back-to-back years.