STEM Superpower Unlocked: Cynthia Kuhlman Joins Our School Family!

Mrs. Kuhlman is a force of nature in Polk County education. Known for her passion for making advanced technology accessible to all kids, she has spent her career breaking down barriers. When she noticed transportion limitations were keeping students from after-school programs at her previous school, she launched a roaring lunch-hour Girls Who Code club so every student could participate. To back up her vision, she has secured numerous grants along the way, including a $15,000 George W. Jenkins grant for laptops and multiple Polk Education Foundation grants and Southwest Florida Water Management District Splash! grants to bring environmental field studies directly to her learners.

She doesn't just teach STEM; she shapes it at the highest levels. She was selected for the elite Research Experiences for Teachers program at the National High Magnetic Field Lab (MagLab), and she authored advanced curriculum linking cutting-edge magnetics to Central Florida industries. Mrs. Kuhlman leads with a profound growth-mindset philosophy: mistakes aren't setbacks, they're the exact sparks that fuel innovation.

Elevating Our Classrooms, Teachers & Students

In her dynamic role at our school, Mrs. Kuhlman is taking on a multi-layered mission to support both our high-achieving students and our instructional team:

• Coaching Teachers in Advanced Pedagogy: She will be working side-by-side with our educators to reinforce learning through spiral review, expand rigorous math discourse and launch high-impact project-based learning (PBL) across math and science, giving our team the strategies needed to ensure every child experiences deep, rigorous thinking.

  
  

• Gifted & High-Achieving Instruction: She will provide dedicated weekly classes for our gifted minds while ensuring all students get hands-on access to coding, robotics, and computational tools.

  
  

• Championship Competition Teams:  Mrs. Kuhlman will hit the ground running in September by launching an after-school Science Olympiad team and coaching a competitive A-team for our 5th graders, a arena where she has a stellar history of guiding young thinkers to success!

  
  

Looking Ahead: Our Future STEM Lab

While Mrs. Kuhlman is currently flexing her position across coaching and weekly instruction, we are laying the groundwork for something massive. When we move to our new campus location, she will design and head her dream STEM space. Once fully implemented, students will explore vertical hydroponics, laser cutting and engraving, 3D printing, and hands-on engineering!

Please join us in giving an energetic welcome to Mrs. Kuhlman. The future of inquiry and discovery starts right here, and we couldn't be more honored to have her leading the way!