Project Lead the Way
Grenada School District’s innovative program of advanced science, technology, engineering, and mathematic classes to help train the next generation for high-tech jobs.
Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a national program designed to attract students to careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The program teaches specific STEM skills while also developing problem-solving, critical- and creative-thinking, along with communication and collaborative skills.
PLTW classes at every grade level reflect this next-generation science curriculum. The lessons are more hands-on and inquiry-based than traditional instruction. Students no longer sit and take notes from the teacher’s lecture. Instead, they learn the process of problem-solving, which they apply to real-world situations.
“The whole point is to learn how to solve the problem instead of relying on somebody else to give you the answers,” says Ryan Melton, instructor for the Computer Science arm of the program.
Grenada School District incorporates PLTW throughout the school system. We begin by introducing concepts at the elementary school, moving to more hands-on lessons in middle school, and advanced training and professional development in high school.
Take a look at what we offer....
PLTW BY GRADE LEVEL
PLTW Impact Profile
21st Century Classrooms
For more innovative programs, we like to operate in innovative spaces. Our state-of-the-art STEM labs were designed with a professional flair, providing room to move around and work in groups as well as materials for robotic construction, medical testing, and 3-D printing.
The GHS Engineering Lab was built with help from local industry partner Novipax. This first-rate facility provides students with industry-standard equipment (3D printers, professional software, building parts/tools) in an inspiring classroom environment.
In our Biomedical Lab, students can play the role of real-life medical professionals, using much of the same equipment and tools used in hospitals and labs. The lab is loaded with such top-shelf equipment as binocular cordless microscopes, micro centrifuges, EKG and blood-pressure sensors, and an electrophoresis machine, along with a host of supporting equipment and supplies to copy and analyze DNA.
Computer Science students meet in Mr. Melton’s lab at the Grenada Career and Technical Center. The room features work tables and a battle pit where students practice with their competition robots. A makerspace gives students a place to design and create anything they can imagine with 3D printers, a CNC precision-cutting machine for metal, VR headsets, and a laser cutter/engraver.