New STEM Lab Opens: Students & Community Celebrate

Reading High School students Mosiah Sanchez and Grislady Jimenez outlined their vision for hands-on learning Thursday as officials cut the ribbon on the school’s new Innovation Academy, a STEM-focused facility slated to open for the 2026-27 school year.

The ceremony, held outside the school at 817 N. Ninth St., drew school officials, elected leaders, and community members, according to a report from the Reading Eagle. Sanchez described the classrooms as spaces “where we could create, design and collaborate together,” highlighting the new state-of-the-art equipment in the chemistry labs and the private study rooms in the media center.

Reading School District Superintendent Dr. Khalid Mumin characterized the academy as a “fundamental change” in education, asserting that “the future demands more” in the form of critical thinkers, problem solvers, innovators, and leaders. He added that this demand necessitates a shift in schooling, pedagogy, and instruction.

The opening of the Innovation Academy follows similar investments in STEM education across the country. Edward Gonzales Elementary in Albuquerque, New Mexico, recently celebrated the opening of its new STEM lab, and College Park Elementary in Fulton County, Georgia, held a ribbon-cutting for its own STEM lab, both during the 2025-26 school year.

Jimenez and Sanchez, identified as Reading STEMbassadors, spoke to the crowd before Dr. Mumin and school board president Dr. Noahleen Betts officially cut the ribbon. The academy is intended to prepare students for careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.