VWHS program earns national certification

VWHS information

Van Wert High School announced on Monday that it has received national certification for the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Biomedical Science program it has offered since 2011.

In addition, the Vantage Career Center’s satellite engineering program housed at Van Wert High School also received national certification (this is the second time the school has gone through the national certification process to validate its program). PLTW, a nonprofit organization and the nation’s leading provider of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education programs, offers a rigorous world-class curriculum that allows students to apply what they are learning in math and science class to real-life biomedical science and engineering activities, projects and problems.  PLTW also prides itself on high-quality professional development of its teachers and an engaged network of business, community and university partners to give students the fullest experience.

The national PLTW recognition program distinguishes schools for successfully demonstrating a commitment to PLTW’s national standards. Additionally, certification as a PLTW school provides students with the opportunity to apply for college credit or receive college-level recognition at PLTW affiliate universities when they successfully complete select PLTW courses in high school. PLTW has more than 50 affiliate college, university and research partners.

In order to remain competitive in the global economy, America needs approximately 400,000 STEM college graduates annually, according to a National Business Roundtable report. Currently, the U.S. is graduating only 265,000 annually. PLTW is providing students with the skills, foundation and proven path to college and career success in STEM areas to increase the number of STEM graduates.

Bill Clifton, principal of VWHS said, “We’ve seen how the PLTW program draws more students into the biomedical sciences and engineering fields and gets them thinking about college and their careers. We are extremely proud to be PLTW certified and ecstatic that our students are eligible for college-level recognition, which may include college credit, scholarships and admissions preference.”

As part of the recognition process, VWHS Principal Bill Clifton and a team composed of teachers Chuck Rollins, Kathleen Overmyer, and Bob Spath, staff, students and members of the community submitted a self-assessment of the school’s implementation of PLTW’s Biomedical Science program. A site visit by a PLTW trained team followed. PLTW’s team met with teachers, school administrators, counselors, students and members of the school’s Partnership Team. A PLTW school’s Partnership Team (sometimes referred to as an advisory council) is comprised of teachers, counselors, administrators, post-secondary representatives, business and industry professionals and other community members who actively support the PLTW program within a school.

“Van Wert High School should be congratulated for demonstrating once again its commitment to PLTW’s quality standards,” said PLTW President and CEO Vince Bertram. “The real winners here, however, are Van Wert’s students.

“Students benefit from PLTW’s innovative, project-based curriculum that encourages creativity, problem solving and critical thinking,” Bertram added. “We look forward to many more years of working together to prepare Van Wert students for the global economy.”

“The beauty of PLTW courses is that our kids get to experience how a concept they learned in science applies to a real-world project,” teacher Chuck Rollins said. “In class, there are no lectures — students are exploring the concepts of human medicine, mapping and analyzing DNA, and designing innovative solutions for the health challenges of the 21st century.

“That is the kind of hands-on experience that will engage more students in fields that they might otherwise never have considered,” Rollins added.

For more information on PLTW, go to www.pltw.org or contact any of the teachers at Van Wert High School at 419.238.3350. In addition, those interested can contact Jennifer Cahill at the national office at 317.669.0871 or email jcahill@pltw.org.

About PLTW
Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the nation’s leading provider of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs. PLTW’s world-class, activity-, project-, and problem-based curriculum and high-quality teacher professional development model, combined with an engaged network of educators and corporate partners, help students develop the skills needed to succeed in our global economy. More than 5,000 elementary, middle, and high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia currently offer PLTW courses to their students. For more information, visit www.pltw.org.