Building the STEAM & Imagination Lab at Richmond Community Schools

The Director of STEAM and the Imagination Lab at Richmond Community Schools, Steven Hensley, joins us to discuss building a brand new and innovative program from the ground up. Steven Hensley serves as the Director of STEAM & Imagination Lab at Richmond Community Schools. His journey into education was not exactly linear, but he is so glad to have found his way here. Steven has been privileged as a classroom educator for the last six years, teaching anything from AP Computer Science to Biology 1, with the majority of his teaching experience at the 9th and 10th grade level and his beloved middle school kiddos. Steven works passionately to develop cross curricular units and weave in interdisciplinary techniques, all from an inquiry based instructional approach. He champions the best ideas and techniques for kids because at the end of the day, “if it doesn't work for kids, it doesn't work." Moderated by Keep Indiana Learning Digital Learning Coach, Tim Arnold. Tim Arnold is a District eLearning Specialist with Richmond Community schools in Richmond, IN. Prior to that he was a social studies teacher, coach, and educational leader at Nettle Creek Schools in Hagerstown,IN. Tim was selected as a Top Ten Educator in the State of Indiana in 2008, taught Social Studies methods in the Earlham College Master of Arts in Teaching program, and has presented at multiple local, state and national conferences (ICE, HECC, CanvasCon, InstructureCon, ISTE) on topics he is passionate about including blended learning, student engagement, Canvas, G Suite for Education, and EduProtocols. Additionally, Tim holds certifications in Technology Leadership (CIESC Cohort 8), Google (Level 1), FlipGrid, and Nearpod and collaborates with @RCSLearn colleagues to host a Twitter chat with over 130 episodes. Tim, a current HECC Board Member, joined Keep Indiana Learning as a Digital Learning Coach in the fall of 2021 and was recently selected for the Jacobs Educator Award from Indiana University. Tim and his wife Julie, a former “rock-star” 6th grade science teacher and current guidance counselor, are graduates of Indiana University (BS ‘90) and Ball State University (MA ‘97), and have two children, Kelsie, a UX Designer for Aloompa and Nick, a Plant Manager with Co-Alliance.Tim's mantra is to serve others with patient persistence.