Every Neenah Joint School District elementary class will add Project Lead the Way Launch activities to their science curriculum as a result of a $75,000 grant from Bemis Company, Inc.
The grant will be divided equally among 10 schools with each receiving $7,500 over a two-year period. Project Lead the Way Launch is a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) curriculum that develops students as innovators, team members, problem solvers, designers and creative thinkers.
“All of the curriculum is aligned to 21st Century skills that engage students in critical and creative thinking,” said District STEM Coordinator Curtis Bartlett. “This is preparing students for jobs that don’t even exist yet.”
Project Lead the Way Launch incorporates Next Generation Science Standards, which will enrich the current science curriculum. Every grade level will focus on four modules every year. Two of those subject areas are in engineering. The others are biomedical and computer science.
At least one lead teacher will be selected at each of the kindergarten through fifth grade schools to pilot the program during the 2016-17 school year. The lead teachers will train other staff members at their schools during the second semester and, the following year, at least two of the four modules will be implemented in every classroom District-wide. The goal is to have all four modules of the curriculum fully implemented by the 2018-19 school year.
Bemis has been a close partner with the Neenah Joint School District with Project Lead the Way activities at all grade levels. Bemis is a multinational company based in Neenah and a major supplier of flexible packaging used by leading food, consumer products, healthcare and industrial companies worldwide. With 60 facilities in 11 countries, Bemis serves customers around the globe.
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