School News

The engineers of the future

Levittown boasts Project Lead the Way initiative

Posted

With the demand for engineers ever increasing, the Levittown School District is preparing students at a young age for potential careers. The Project Lead the Way program is in its third year at the district’s two middle schools, offering students an insight into in-demand jobs.

“The workforce today, engineers are heavily sought out, as are creative thinkers and problem solvers,” said Frank Creter, the district’s director of art, technology, family and consumer sciences, and career and technical education.

In Joe Castelli’s technology class at Jonas Salk Middle School, eighth-graders have spent the semester learning about robotics, and are in the process of designing and building their own devices. Students were paired up and had a variety of projects to choose from.

“I really like putting things together and building things,” said Eli Hegdahl, of Wantagh. He and his partner, Tim Zorn, are working on building a tank. It has to follow a half-inch wide line, stop at a certain point, and drop off supplies before returning to the start line.

Samantha Leon and Caroline Johnson are working on a claw that has to pick up and put down and object. They said they chose the project because it reminded them of the claw machines in restaurants that give kids a chance to win a toy. “I think it’s just cool to learn how things work,” Samantha said.

Project Lead the Way’s seventh-grade program is design and modeling, and the eighth-grade program is automation and robotics. All students take these courses. “Kids at the middle school are excited,” Creter said. “They love the course. It’s kind of a break from their typical education style.”

Last year, the program expanded into the high schools where there are Project Lead the Way electives. One is engineering and design, which satisfies the art credit required for graduation. Creter said the goal is to continue to grow the program and variety of course offerings, which teach students relevant skills using industry-standard techniques on state-of-the-art software and equipment.

Castelli noted that the project his students are working on is extremely hands-on. His eighth-graders work together to come up with designs by sketching them out on paper before they actually start building. While the process can be complicated, he said, they are learning to solve problems.

Project Lead the Way also brings math and science into technology class. Castelli explained that it is important for the students to see how the different academic disciplines depend upon each other.

Samantha Leon added that she never realized how much went into the design process. It’s not just picking up pieces and building. “You have to actually plan it out on paper,” she said.

Creter explained that the teachers are embracing the program, with many attending training seminars every summer. “Our teachers are so committed to providing this to our students,” he said.

He noted that while many students start the year thinking technology is just another class in their schedule, the Project Lead the Way program has many ending the year thinking about career possibilities. The purpose of the class, he said, is to inspire them and get them thinking about opportunities they might not have known about before.

“If you know a lot of stuff about technology,” Tim Zorn said, “it can lead you to some great jobs in life.”