Marion Community Schools continues to ramp up our STEM offerings to provide students with unique and valuable opportunities. Recently, the school district was recognized by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak’s Woz ED organization for the success of our K-12 STEM education program.
Woz ED named Marion Community Schools a Data Validated District of Distinction. This builds on the previously awarded Pathway Status recognition from Woz ED. These awards acknowledge the work that MCS is doing to provide relevant, future-focused education for our students. The latest award recognizes MCS for statistically significant positive outcomes sustained for two consecutive years.
“Woz Pathway Status is an elite group of districts, schools, and organizations that exemplify teaching and learning designed for students to explore their future in the tech economy,” Woz ED states.
Marion Community Schools’ District of Distinction award from Woz ED sits on a table during the celebration when it was awarded during the Woz ED Pathway Conference in November 2026.
Marion Community Schools is one of the first schools in the state partnering with Woz ED. This partnership has been integral to MCS’s expanded STEM opportunities for students. From STEM-focused learning at our elementaries, to technology-supported career exploration at our intermediate and junior high levels, to our career pathways and STEM classes at Marion High School and Grant Regional Career Center, MCS has seen the impact that a focus on STEM education can make!
“We are excited about our District of Distinction award from Woz ED,” said MCS Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Lockwood. “STEM education plays a fundamental role in building a strong foundation for lifelong learning. It can facilitate development of language and critical thinking skills. It can encourage self-discovery as well as independent and collaborative work. It enables the next generation of innovators. At Marion Community Schools, we are proud of our success, and we will continue to build exciting new opportunities for our students!”
In connection with the honor, several Marion educators attended the Woz ED annual conference to learn more about best practices and the innovations made possible through the Woz ED curriculum. They heard from tech and education experts, and they carried excitement and knowledge back with them to Marion to put to use in their own school buildings.
Marion Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Lockwood and Grant Regional Career Center Director Nathan McNeely pose for a photo with tech icon Steve Wozniak, founder of Woz ED, during the Woz ED Pathway Conference in November 2026.
About Woz ED
From wozed.com: In 1978, Steve Wozniak single-handedly built the Apple II computer, a computer that would change the way people interacted with technology. And now, Wozniak has turned his creativity and ingenuity toward education.
Woz ED has developed personalized learning programs so that learners can enroll, learn, master, get out into the workplace faster, and start a career in high tech.
Steve Wozniak changed the world with his innovations. Woz ED is dedicated to helping produce more like Steve.
Woz ED lessons are purposefully designed to build an engineering mindset while developing the soft skills employers value. Collaboration, problem solving, and critical thinking are inherent in every project.