Project Lead the Way Engineering Program Making a Difference
February 02, 2010
Our high school PLTW program has grown during its first four years at Lewis Central. We received national certification during our second year of implementation. Our program began with two classes: Introduction to Engineering and Design and Principles of Engineering. During our second year we added two classes: Digital Electronics and Civil Engineering and Architecture. Last year we added Computer Integrated Manufacturing and this year we completed our PLTW program of study by adding the capstone class, Engineering Design and Development. We anticipate the addition of the Gateway to Technology (GTT) program in our middle school in 2010-2011. We have been awarded $39,000 from the Kern Family Foundation and $30,000 matching funds from the Iowa West Foundation, through College Career Academies, over the past four years in support of our program. Lewis Central Schools was notified this past January of a grant award of $25,000 for initial implementation of the GTT program from the Kern Family Foundation.
For the past two years we have held an Engineering Day hosted at our high school. This endeavor includes partnerships with other area high schools, Google, Walmart, Best Buy, local Engineering businesses, Iowa State University, University of Iowa along with our community college, Iowa Western Community College among other businesses and post-secondary schools. Last year we were the regional symposium site for southwest Iowa in preparation for Iowa’s state symposium.
Duringthis Engineering Day we have held workshops for eighth grade students, large group presentations, college presentations, on-site competition as well as the symposium competition. Our school qualified five students in three divisions: Best Overall, Most Creative, and Universal Design for the Iowa state symposium last school year. One of our teams won the state competition with their Marble Sorter. This year our Engineering Day is planned for May 6, 2010.
We have been a model school contacted by other districts from as far as Arizona interested in beginning a PLTW program. We have also been selected, along with 23 other schools across Iowa, to display our program in March at our state capitol in Des Moines, as the governor accepts an award from PLTW.
Of our PLTW instructors we have two Master Teachers. Bill Agan was accepted as a Civil Engineering and Architecture Master Teacher and trained other PLTW instructors this past summer. Joe Vinchattle was recently accepted as a Computer Integrated Manufacturing Master Teacher and will be training other PLTW instructors this summer.
Lastly, our students in our PLTW courses also take part in a Service Learning project in partnership with University of Nebraska in Omaha and North High School another PLTW school.
We are very proud of our accomplishments in this short four years we have offered the PLTW program to our students at Lewis Central. The program grows every year and we anticipate a large increase in the next two-three years with the implementation of the GTT program at our middle school.
