Sunday, February 9, 2025

2 K-M schools honored by Lead the Way

Both Kasson-Mantorville Elementary School and K-M High School have been recognized as 2022-23 Project Lead The Way Distinguished Schools.

K-M Elementary is one of 492 schools in the U.S. to receive the honor for providing broad access to transformative learning experiences for students through the Lead The Way launch, school officials said in a recent release. The school received the distinction last year as well.

The high school is one of just 262 U.S. high schools across the country honored for providing broad access to transformative learning experiences for students through computer science, engineering and biomedical pathways.

The high school is receiving this distinction for the third year in a row.

Project Lead The Way is a nonprofit organization that serves millions of preK-12 students and teachers.

K-M’s Director of Teaching and Learning, Ashley Kaplan, shared this: “The PLTW curriculum gives our students hands-on experiences solving real-world problems. Our incredible PLTW teachers help STEM come to life and get our elementary students excited about continuing their STEM learning as they continue in middle school and in high school.”

To be eligible for the designation, the school had to have more than 75 percent of the student body participating in the program and had to offer at least one Project Lead The Way launch module at each grade level during the 2021-22 school year.

Studies show that students decide as early as elementary school whether they like, and think they’re good at, math and science. Whether designing a car safety belt or building digital animations based on their own short stories, Project launch students engage in critical and creative thinking, build teamwork skills, and develop a passion for STEM subjects.

“We are proud to recognize Kasson-Mantorville Elementary School for their commitment to providing students with exceptional educational experiences while ensuring equitable access to PLTW programs,” said David Dimmett, PLTW president and CEO. “We congratulate them on this achievement and celebrate their important work empowering students with the knowledge and skills to succeed, not only in STEM subjects, but alamo in life and career.”

At the high school, Principal Trent Langemo said “At KMHS, we emphasize the importance of student engagement in their learning. What I observe every time I’m in a PLTW classroom is students who are taking ownership of their learning, diving deep into the problem-solving process and teachers who are truly facilitating high level learning.”

“What I like about the PLTW biomed program is that instead of telling students what to think, it moves them through a pathway that shows them how to think. Students are given problems to solve, and they work to find the answers, which is much more engaging than a class that just gives them the answers,” said Jeff Kujath, who teaches Lead The Way principles of biomedical sciences and Lead The Way Human Body Systems.

Chris Otterness teaches Lead The Way Engineering Design/Development and Lead The Way Intro to Engineering Design. He had this to share, “Over the years, the leadership at Kasson-Mantorville HIgh School has done an excellent job supporting and combining traditional Career and Technical Education classes with Engineering classes. Along with the skills they obtain, through these classes, they can also earn college credits to help them get a head start on their college degree.

The Project Lead The Way Distinguished School recognition honors schools committed to increasing student access, engagement and achievement in their PLTW programs. To be eligible for the designation, the high school had to meet the following criteria in the 2022-23 school year:

Had 25 percent of students or more participate in Project Lead The Way courses, or of those who participated, at least 33 percent took two or more PLTW courses.

Offer and had students enrolled in at least three PTLW courses.

Have strategies in place that support reasonably proportional representation with regard to race, ethnicity, poverty and/or gender.

“We are proud to recognize Kasson-Mantorville High School for their commitment to providing students with exceptional educational experiences while ensuring equitable access to PLTW programs,” said Dimmett. “We congratulate them on this achievement and celebrate their important work empowering students with the knowledge and skills to succeed, not only in STEM projects, but also in life and career.”

 

 

 

Dodge County Independent

Dodge County Independent
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301 S. Mantorville Ave.
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Kasson, MN 55944

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