Leading the way

BROWNSTOWN — Take an ordinary drinking cup and make it better.

That was the first assignment for students in Brownstown Central High School’s new Project Lead the Way pre-engineering and technology program.

Ideas included iPOD attachments, mechanisms to heat or cool beverages and coasters installed inside the cup that can be released at the touch of a button.

“It was amazing to see what they came up with,” teacher Jade Peters told a group of local business professionals visiting the school Tuesday morning. “The challenge with this curriculum is for students to think differently and in ways beyond what they are used to.”

Freshman Chatlin Pearson agreed that being in the class makes her think in an entirely new direction.

“You really have to think visually and learn in a whole new way,” Pearson said. “It’s hard and frustrating sometimes, but it’s a good learning experience.”

The program is modeled after Seymour High School’s award-winning Project Lead the Way classes and introduces students to engineering concepts, allowing them to use state-of-the-art technology to apply what they learn.

Jackson County Industrial Development Corp. invited members of the business and industrial community to sit in on classes this week to see first-hand the benefits of the program not only to students but to the local manufacturing industry.

Jed Wheatley, president of Jackson County REMC, said he was “really impressed with what the students are accomplishing.”

“I can tell it’s really sinking in and making an impact,” Wheatley said of the curriculum and projects after working with junior Samuel Ayers to put together a puzzle cube students designed as part of an assignment.

Ayers said after taking a drafting class last year, he thought Project Lead the Way was a perfect fit.

“It’s a great class because instead of just drawing something you are actually doing it,” he said.

This is the first year for Brownstown to offer Project Lead the Way to high school students thanks to grant money the county received from the EcO15 initiative, which has also helped expand the program to Seymour Middle School and Trinity Lutheran High School.

Other county schools, including Crothersville Junior-Senior High School, Medora Junior-Senior High School and Brownstown Central Middle School, are currently working on implementing the program as well. 

Jody Deckard, work force partnership coordinator with JCIDC, said without the EcO15 Dream It Do It campaign, many students would not have been exposed to Project Lead the Way.

“This region was awarded a grant through the Lilly Endowment and the money was divided up amongst nine counties to be spent in the areas of manufacturing, tourism and hospitality,” Deckard said. “We wanted to use some of the money to improve manufacturing education in our schools.”

A total of $600,000 will be spent on computers and software to bring the curriculum to all the high schools and middle schools in the county, Deckard added.

“It’s something the manufacturing companies were requesting to see in our schools to better prepare their work force,” Deckard said.

As for setting up the classroom visits and tours, Deckard said it’s important to get the community involved and behind Project Lead the Way.

“I hope it opens the manufacturing industry’s eyes so they see what is going on in these schools and how excited our students are,” she said.

She also hopes it opens the students’ eyes.

“A lot of kids don’t understand the different careers in manufacturing today,” she said. “Through Project Lead the Way, we are exposing the kids to those careers and introducing them to areas they’ve never even thought of. At the same time they are learning skills they will need in everyday life no matter what career they choose.”

Another advantage to students is that by taking Project Lead the Way courses, they can earn dual credit through Ivy Tech Community College, which will transfer to most public and private state colleges and universities in Indiana.

At first, Peters and Principal Joe Sheffer didn’t know how the classes would go over.

“We were hoping just to get two sections going,” Peters said. “We decided to open it up to all of our students including freshmen and sophomores, thinking we could get more students involved that way.”

The program went over better than either could have imagined.

“We have three classes and they are all full,” Sheffer said. “We have 67 students enrolled, including 31 freshmen and 14 females, so it’s a good mix.”

Sheffer announced the school will soon be getting a $20,000 CAD machine, paid for through a Perkins grant.
“It will allow our students to be able to better design projects,” Sheffer said.

Senior Ethan Nieman said he is glad he was one of the first students to take Project Lead the Way at Brownstown but disappointed he won’t be able to continue the work after he graduates this spring.

He said he does plan to pursue a degree in engineering in college.

“It’s given me a good look into the field of engineering in general,” Nieman said. “I feel Project Lead the Way has given me an insight into something I would like to do in the future.”

The projects and technology are challenging, but Nieman said he likes a good challenge.

“It’s much different from anything I’ve ever done before and the projects get you to think in ways you never thought you could.”

The students are so excited and involved in their work, they are coming in on their own time, Peters added.

“I’ve got kids coming in before school and at lunch to work because they want to have the best project in the class,” he said. “What we are trying to do is inspire our kids to want to learn more and go further.”