Elementary STEM coordinators begin work in Marshall schools

Marshall Public Schools is moving a two-year elementary STEM initiative from the planning stage into classrooms, with two coordinators now working alongside teachers across all four district elementary schools.

The rollout is expected to reach about 1,030 students and give educators more hands-on support for lessons involving engineering design, problem-solving, robotics, coding and manufacturing.

Corrie Messner is assigned to Hughes and Walters elementary schools, while Adrianna Yatooma is serving Gordon and Harrington elementary schools.

Both coordinators are Marshall parents, giving the initiative a personal connection to the families and classrooms it is designed to serve.

Messner brings experience as a software developer and children’s ministry director, while Yatooma has more than a decade of experience teaching STEM.

Their arrival marks the key next step in a program first announced when local foundations committed funding for two full-time coordinator positions.

The coordinators joined INNOVATE Albion during the summer and are part of its Elementary STEM Coordinator Initiative, a two-year pilot supported by the Cronin Foundation, Marshall Community Foundation and Albion Community Foundation.

Instead of operating as occasional guest presenters, the coordinators are intended to work directly with classroom teachers so STEM practices can become part of everyday instruction.

That approach could help teachers connect technical concepts with reading, math and other subjects while giving students more chances to test ideas, build prototypes and learn from mistakes.

For younger students, consistent access matters because confidence in technical subjects often grows through repeated practice rather than a single special event.

The district already has Ford Future Builders Labs, which provide spaces and equipment for project-based learning.

The new coordinators can help teachers make fuller use of those resources and adapt activities for different grades and classroom needs.

INNOVATE Albion has partnered with Marshall schools since 2021, and the pilot includes evaluation support from Everett Evaluation plus coaching through Michigan Virtual.

Those outside supports are meant to track results, strengthen instruction and help determine whether the model should continue after the pilot period.

The immediate test will be whether the added expertise translates into more frequent, useful STEM experiences for students throughout the school year.

For Marshall families, the most visible change should be more classroom projects that ask students to collaborate, solve practical problems and explain how their designs work.

Q: How many students are expected to take part?

A: The initiative is expected to reach about 1,030 students across Marshall Public Schools’ four elementary schools.

Q: Which schools are assigned to each coordinator?

A: Corrie Messner is assigned to Hughes and Walters, while Adrianna Yatooma is assigned to Gordon and Harrington.

Q: How long will the pilot run?

A: The Elementary STEM Coordinator Initiative is structured as a two-year pilot.