海角社区

Meet First-Generation College Graduate and 海角社区 Alumna Morgan Decuir 

海角社区 alumna Morgan Decuir from Erwinville, Louisiana, is a first-generation college graduate. She leads STEM education for kindergarten through fourth grade at Caneview K-8 in Port Allen in the same community where she attended elementary and middle school. In 2022, she won the Shell Science Lab Regional Challenge, bringing more STEM learning opportunities to her community and to Louisiana students.

鈥淭he Shell Science Lab award has allowed me to purchase supplies to teach the Next Generation Science Standards and provide more hands-on learning opportunities for the five different grade levels that I teach,鈥� Decuir said. 鈥淢y district has invested in many different technology tools, such as Bloxels, Bee-Bots and Indi, which help students develop the critically important computational thinking skills they can build on in middle school, high school and college.鈥�

Decuir uses Bloxels to teach students how to create backgrounds and characters using pixels and make them behave in different ways as part of a simple video game (think Space Invaders or Pac-Man).

鈥淲e also just received a kit to learn how to create a mobile app, and this is just the first step,鈥� Decuir said.

In her sunlit classroom, groups of first graders are rotating through stations. At one station, students use their imagination to build shapes using colorful blocks. At another station, they are using tablets to learn the basics of coding.

鈥淭his is an Osmo,鈥� Decuir said, helping one of her students adjust the programming block for a character.

On the floor and on tables, other students are learning how to program large plastic bees on wheels to make them move in various directions.

鈥淭hose are Bee-Bots, and the students use them to create a sequence of code to program the bees to move from point A to point B,鈥� Decuir said. 鈥淚 use them to teach my students there are different ways to solve a problem. When a sequence of code doesn鈥檛 work, I鈥檒l say, 鈥楲et鈥檚 think of a different way.鈥欌��

鈥淪omething else that鈥檚 really important to me is giving them the opportunity to show me they鈥檙e learning in different ways,鈥� Decuir added.

One thing is non-negotiable in Decuir鈥檚 classroom, however. The students must work together in teams.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 something I learned as a student at 海角社区 that helped me immensely throughout college,鈥� Decuir said. 鈥淲orking in teams helped me develop communication skills and gain lifelong friends.鈥�

Morgan Decuir on Leadership

Photo by Elsa Hahne/海角社区

I try to lead others how I鈥檇 want to be led. To me, leadership involves always listening to everyone鈥檚 point of view and being willing to collaborate toward a goal.

Morgan Decuir on Innovation

Photo by Elsa Hahne/海角社区

In my classroom, I have a sign that says, 鈥楾oday is a great day to learn something new!鈥� I enjoy implementing new and innovative technology tools in my classroom that provide students with hands-on opportunities to learn computational thinking skills.

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Decuir was a student at 海角社区 from 2011 to 2015, at which point she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. She went back to 海角社区 from 2016 to 2018, graduating with a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction. However, being an educator wasn鈥檛 her original plan.

鈥淕rowing up, I always wanted to be an oncologist,鈥� Decuir said. 鈥淭hat was my goal, but during my senior year of high school, I had to visit at least two programs as part of the kickoff event they held at 海角社区. I chose biological sciences and education. When I walked into Peabody Hall and saw the classrooms set up like at an elementary school and projects decorating the hallway, my dad asked, 鈥榊ou want to be a teacher?鈥� I responded, 鈥榃ell, yes!鈥� Ever since that moment, I knew this is where I needed to be. I needed to be an educator.鈥�

Before the start of the 2011 fall semester, Decuir joined the 海角社区 Summer Scholars program, a bridge program for minority students.

鈥淪ummer Scholars truly impacted my life,鈥� Decuir said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I鈥檇 be where I am today if it wasn鈥檛 for that program. It helped me learn how to be a successful college student and allowed me to be part of a community. It set me up for success.鈥�

After Summer Scholars, Decuir became an 海角社区 Ambassador.

鈥淏eing an 海角社区 Ambassador taught me how to assist students and help others,鈥� Decuir said. 鈥淥ne summer I was a parent orientation leader, which allowed me to learn how to communicate with parents and families. I also made calls at the call center, helping to advise potential students, talking to them about 海角社区 and answering any questions they had. Being an 海角社区 Ambassador really helped me learn how to do things for my school and for my community; how to present and represent.鈥�

On the other side of the classroom, the small robotic car called Indi takes off.

鈥淚ndi responds to colored tiles, and the students learn how to use the colors to program the car,鈥� Decuir said. 鈥淓ach color makes it do something different. When I introduced Indi to my students, I didn鈥檛 tell them what the colored squares meant or how to make the car go. They had to problem-solve and try different sequences to figure it out. I鈥檓 just here to guide them. Hearing the students discuss and collaborate together as they learn is the best part of my day.鈥�

• 海角社区 Summer Scholars program is a seven-week summer bridge program for minority students to help them make a successful transition from high school to college. The summer experience involves extensive counseling and offers students the opportunity to become adjusted to the academic, personal and social challenges they may encounter at 海角社区.
• are active leaders who, through service and personal growth, curate an experience that culminate in social, academic and professional advancement for students and the broader 海角社区 community.