12th District Representative Mike Steele Named Washington STEM Network Legislator of the Year

12th District Rep. Mike Steele was honored by the Washington STEM Network as their 2019 Legislator of the Year.

Steele says every curriculum is important, but there is something unique about science, technology, engineering and math.

"These are the practical applications. These are things kids need in order to be successful when they enter the career world. Whether that's a four-year university type of career, or whether that's a skilled trade right out of high school, you can use and apply all of these areas; science, technology, engineering and math to any of the professional trades, any of the professional tech trades, so these matter."

He was honored at a dinner Tuesday night at the WET Science Center in Olympia.

Steele said he was flattered and surprised, but that this is an easy philosophy to get behind because of how it can impact kids.

"The emphasis on STEM and STEAM is that it's a hands-on activity that kids are experiencing things in real-time. They are out there in the forest if they're doing forestry classes. They're in the classroom mixing with chemistry experiments. It's real stuff the kids can enjoy and gravitate towards because it's a hands-on activity."

He praised school districts in the 12th noting that they have emphasized STEM and STEAM (the A stands for art) education and he simply needed to be informed so that he could answer their call.

Rep. Steele currently serves on three House committees: Education, Appropriations, and Capital Budget.