While the term “amygdala” may not bear much significance for the average person, elementary students attending Biomedical Preparatory at UT Southwestern understand it as the small structure inside the brain that processes emotions.
“We want students to become critical thinkers by giving them an opportunity to discern and then make their own decisions,” Biomedical Preparatory Principal, Roberto Gonzalez, said. “Curiosity, creativity, resilience, empathy, innovation, and leadership drive everything we do.”
An idea envisioned by Charles Ginsburg, M.D., Vice Provost and Senior Associate Dean for Education at UTSW Medical Center, Biomedical Prep came to life in 2022 with half of its population coming from low socioeconomic backgrounds.
“UT Southwestern has incredibly rich resources, and not only the physical facilities and equipment, but incredibly educated, fascinating people who are making important discoveries,” Ginsburg said. “It’s a win-win for us to be able to expose kids to the wonders of science and discovery.”
Biomedical Preparatory operates similarly to a typical school, following a core curriculum, but with an emphasis on Science Technology Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). There’s a strong focus on social-emotional learning (SEL), design thinking, and the scientific method. For Principal Gonzalez, these values are at the helm of the school’s learning framework because they’re the makings of an inquisitive thinker.
“It was never my goal, to build a school to create doctors, my goal was to put in the foundations for a successful life through early education. It’s imprinting with certain, important principles to teach them what’s available in this life,” Ginsburg said.
The STEM campus currently serves PK-3 through second grade while adding a grade level every year until it is a PK-8. Next year, Biomedical Preparatory will undergo expansion under the district’s Bond 2020 program incorporating a library, gymnasium, extra classrooms, kitchen, cafeteria, and a new playground.
To learn more about this school, visit our website.