One of the 50 institutions awarded grants in the Fall 2017 Dana Brown Charitable Trust Grant cycle is The Biome School, a public charter school that opened in 2015 in the Central West End of St. Louis. There is no tuition charge to attend and the school is open to all St. Louis City children.

The quickest way to understand the mission and vision of The Biome School, which presently serves grades K-3 with a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) integrated learning framework, is by examining the school’s namesake:

A biome (noun) is an ecosystem that includes all of the living things in a given area, interacting with each other, and with their nonliving environments, all together as an ecological unit. Students at The Biome School experience a similar approach to developing their unique gifts and abilities to contribute to their community.

The Biome functions as more than just a school. It is an academic ecosystem where teachers, parents, students, and the community all work together, and students are given the resources they need to thrive. At The Biome School, parents play an integral role in their children’s education both in the classroom and in the home.

Equally important are community partnerships, like the one that currently exists between The Biome School and The Saint Louis Zoo, also a Dana Brown Charitable Trust grant recipient. This symbiotic relationship allows students to meet with zookeepers and nutritionists while studying animals and zoo operations. There are long-term goals to pursue additional relationships within the St. Louis region.

The Biome School aims to grow their ability to serve students one grade at a time, eventually operating as a K-5 school by 2019. The Dana Brown Charitable Trust is eager to contribute to this growing force serving children in the St. Louis region.

For more information on The Biome School, click here to visit their website.