Core Values

“Dream. Discover. Design.”

As the founder of NOVA STEAM Academy, our tagline is more than a slogan — it is the foundation of our school's identity. These three words guide how our scholars learn, grow, explore, and create. Grounded in strong foundational literacy, our core values prepare scholars to think critically, communicate effectively, and turn thier ideas into action. 

Core Value: Visionary Thinking

At NOVA, we encourage students to dream boldly — to imagine a future filled with possibilities and purpose. This value fosters innovation, goal-setting, and a growth mindset while building the literacy skills scholas need to communicate thier goals, express their ideas, and articulate a clear vision for hteir future.

What it looks like:

• - Scholars set and write personal and acadeic goals each semester and reflect on their  progress.
• Faculty nurture scholars' passion projects and personal interests.
• Morning meetings and advisiory include affirmations, journaling goal-setting, and vision-building.
• Guest speakers, community leaders, and alumni inspire long-term aspirations.
• Scholars communicate their goals and future aspirations through speaking, writing, and presentations.

Core Value: Curiosity and Lifelong Learning

At Nova, we cultivate a cullture where scholars are empowered to ask questions, seek knowledge, and explore beyond the textbooks. Through reading, research, questioning, discussion, and writing, scholars investigate ideas, build knowledgem and make meaningful connections across subjects and the world around them. Discovery is wehre curiosity becomes meaningful learning. 

What it looks like:

• Scholars engage in inquiry-based and real-world learning experiences that encourage them to ask questions, research read, wrtite, discuss, and investigate solutions. 
• STEAM labs and engineering design challenges allos scholats to explore ideas, test solutions, learn from failure, and apply knowlesge across content areas. 
• Field experiences at universities, makerspaces, businesses, and community organizations extend learning beyond the classroom.
• Scholars develop research and communiction skills by reading informational texts, evaluating information, documenting findings,, and presenting what they discover.
• Beginning in middle school, scholars are exposed to college and career pathways, including college preparation, dual-credit opportunities, and industry experiences.

Core Value: Purposeful Innovation

Students are taught to think like designers — identifying problems, prototyping solutions, and improving the world around them. Design is active, hands-on, and student-led, while building the literacy skills needed to explain their thinking, document the design process, communicate solutions, and present their work to authentic audiences. 

What it looks like:

• Scholars  engage in an engineering curriculum via Project Lead The Way (PLTW) and other hands-on STEAM experiences. 
• Design thinking embedded into all subject areas, giving scholars opportunites to identify problems, develop ideas, test solutions, and improve their work.
• Scholars participate in community-centered capstone projects and TSA competitions that address authentic problems and challenges.
• Scholars document thier design processthrough researchm technical writing, engineering notebooks, reflections, and other forms of communication.
• Scholars present, revise, and publish their work,  using feedback to strengthen both their solutions and their ability to communicate their thinking.