Newark, MD, August 28, 2024 – Worcester County Public Schools is proud to announce that Stephen Decatur Middle School (SDMS) has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for 2024–2027 for their commitment to continuous innovation in education and using Apple products to create exemplary learning practices.
Apple Distinguished Schools are recognized as some of the most innovative in the world. They are centers of leadership and educational excellence, with a clear vision for how technology-rich environments support learning goals. At SDMS, teachers incorporate technology into their lessons, empowering students to lead, learn, and thrive, to discover new opportunities, and to make their world a better place.
“Our school believes firmly that instruction is at its best when we inspire our students to be creative, collaborative, critical thinkers,” said Theresa Torpey, principal of Stephen Decatur Middle School. “The use of Apple technology in our classrooms does all of this and also empowers our students to not only engage with their learning, but to take ownership of it.”
The selection of SDMS as an Apple Distinguished School highlights the school’s success as innovators and creators of compelling learning environments that engage students and provides tangible evidence of academic achievement.
“I continue to be amazed how our schools are successfully infusing technology into their instructional practice to more effectively reach this generation of learners,” Superintendent of Schools Lou Taylor said. “We began the journey to bring cutting edge technology to our schools in 2020, and to have now four of our schools be named Apple Distinguished Schools within that time demonstrates how impactful this investment is for our both our students and staff.”
The three-year designation of being an Apple Distinguished School comes with the expectations that SDMS will continuously innovate and explore cutting-edge opportunities for using technology to design the future of education. They join Berlin Intermediate School, which was named an Apple Distinguished School for 2022-2025 and will reapply for this distinction this school year, and Pocomoke and Snow Hill High Schools, which were named Apple Distinguished Schools for 2023-2026.
Students and staff at all four schools will engage with the Apple Education team, along with a worldwide network of school leaders, to investigate and support the integration of new education products, curriculum, and services and inspire others. The schools will have the opportunity to renew the recognition during the last year of their recognition term, by demonstrating continued growth in innovative learning with integrated technology.
