Middle schoolers are at a crossroads. They are old enough to crave independence, but young enough to still be discovering what learning can look like. At Bath Middle School in Bath, ME, Principal Conor Walsh is watching that discovery unfold in real time as students dive into hands-on STEM through the Navy-funded STEM+M initiative.
For Walsh, who’s in his second year as principal, the shift began early. “It was in the spring of my first year that we heard about STEM+M and began collaborating with that program,” he recalls. Now, the program is helping teachers create learning experiences that make students feel capable, curious, and confident.
A Community Shaped by Real-World STEM
Bath is a place where STEM careers aren’t abstract—they’re part of the town’s identity. “Bath has been long known as where the United States Navy's destroyers are built. So there's a big company here called Bath Iron Works,” Walsh explains. “A good portion of the town is still working for Bath Iron Works.”
With such deep industrial roots, real-world relevance matters. Bath Middle School serves “6th, 7th and 8th graders… just around 300 students, give or take,” many of whom are already connected, through family or community, to engineering, manufacturing, or the trades.
Introducing STEM+M wasn’t just about bringing in a new curriculum, it was about honoring the spirit of the town itself: building, creating, and solving real problems with real tools.
Learning Through Struggle and Seeing the Value In It
One message Walsh repeats to his staff and students is simple: learning isn’t supposed to be easy.
“There's no one right answer and so get comfortable with failure and get comfortable with struggle. And it's really about the process,” he says.
STEM+M gives students a place to practice that mindset. Through trial-and-error challenges, repeated attempts, and open-ended design work, students learn that confidence doesn’t come from being perfect, but from persevering.
Walsh attributes much of this shift to the school’s STEM teacher. “I think she is so good at pushing her students to be okay with that (to be okay with struggle). She's not fixing things for kids. She's not doing things for kids.” Instead, she’s helping them develop the grit and independence that will follow them far beyond the classroom.
“Kids need to take risks. If we're there to make sure that the risks are safe, or the risk taking is safe, it's really appropriate” Walsh adds. With the right support systems in place, those risks are safe, meaningful, and empowering.
Meeting Students Exactly Where They Are
Differentiation is essential in STEM. Walsh praises how the STEM+M curriculum allows students to enter projects from different angles and at their own pace.
“We've got students being able to watch videos of the directions. Other students are reading those directions… Those are all really, really awesome differentiation tools for students that are learning differently,” he shares.
Some students rewatch steps with headphones. Others collaborate and talk through the process. This flexibility makes it possible for every student to access the challenge, regardless of learning style.
And when students see themselves succeed on their terms, that’s when confidence takes root.
Supporting Teachers So Students Can Soar
If there’s one message Walsh wants to emphasize, it’s this: great student experiences require great support for teachers.
“Every decision I make is what's best for kids. But what is best for kids is making sure their teachers are really supported and have what they need,” he says.
Walsh knows the demands teachers face and the burdens they often carry. “Teachers are amazing. They work so hard. They're so undervalued in our society. So I just want to champion them and do what's best for kids,” he explains.
For him, supporting STEM isn’t simply about bringing in a new curriculum. It’s about creating a culture where teachers feel empowered to try new strategies, take instructional risks, and model the same perseverance they hope to instill in students.
STEM Learning That Reflects Real Life
Whether students are rewatching directions, collaborating through a tough build, or troubleshooting a mistake, they’re learning life-long, important skills: critical thinking, patience, teamwork, and resilience.
At Bath Middle School, STEM is a mindset. One built on community, curiosity, and the belief that students grow when they’re challenged, supported, and encouraged to try again.
STEM+M didn’t just introduce a new curriculum. It helped Bath Middle School embrace a new way of learning—one that gives students the confidence to experiment, persist, and see themselves as capable learners.
Bring Real-World STEM Into Your Classroom
Help your students embrace challenges, explore boldly, and build the confidence Conor Walsh sees in his students—and works to inspire every day.
Explore Pitsco’s hands-on STEM solutions and discover how you can foster resilient, future-ready learners.