Three Poway Unified Schools Recognized As Project Lead The Way Distinguished Schools

Poway High School, Mt. Carmel and Design Campus 39 were named 2022-2023 Lead the Way Distinguished Schools.

Poway Unified School District's three campuses are among 269 U.S. high schools to receive the award.

The Schools of Project Leadership Excellence (PLTW) program recognizes schools that strive to improve student access, engagement and success in their computer science and engineering education programs under the Schools of Project Leadership Excellence (PLTW) program. school district.

Founded by teachers and led by educators, PLTW serves K-12 students and teachers in more than 12,200 schools across the United States. Officials say PLTW prepares and supports STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) teachers in their curriculum and professional development.

Poway High School's Engineering Academy has been PLTW's Outstanding School for five consecutive years, starting with the 2018-19 school year, Poway High School mechanical engineering teacher Rodger Dohm said.

The school offers two levels of robotics and 14 types of engineering courses.

"The robotics program is connected to the academy, and we encourage all kids to participate in robotics because they learn a lot in robotics," said Dom, coordinator of Poway's Advanced Engineering Academy.

In addition to technical skills, robotics students learn leadership skills by taking on leadership roles and mentoring other robotics teams. Students organize, plan and lead outreach events, such as a workshop, or teach a group of people, such as the Girl Scouts, she said.

Dom said his students are also sharing their knowledge with students in other parts of the world: they recently returned from Singapore and are planning another trip to Paraguay, Brazil and Ecuador.

The success of Poway High students is reflected in the many awards they have received at the regional and international levels, Dom said.

"Our program is extremely consistent because we always win," said Dom, whose students have attended MIT, Harvard University, Purdue University, UC San Luis Obispo, UC Berkeley, UC San -Diego and San Diego State University.

To be recognized as a PLTW Outstanding School is "fantastic", he added.

"It means providing a strong, competitive education for our Poway students, and that's a desperate need," he said. "It's a testament that we're offering this to the community and that students are participating in this program." "We motivate students because they want to pursue careers in STEM."

Mt Carmel High School started its engineering journey with PLTW courses in 2015-2016. About 200 students attend classes at the school each year, said Karen Wightmans, a professor of engineering at Mount Carmel. These courses include Introduction to Engineering Design, Principles of Engineering, Engineering Design and Development, and Principles of Computer Science.

PLTW courses help students synthesize information they've learned in other college courses by applying their knowledge to solve problems, Whitmans said. The courses also help students apply useful skills to their careers and determine what they want to do after high school, he said.

“Mount Carmel is proud to offer many career and career courses to prepare students for the world of work – we have fire science, automotive technology and sports medicine,” Whitmans said. We host tours and guest speakers, which really helps connect students with many industries in our region.”

One of the senior highlights is the end-of-year engineering showcase, where students design a product and present it to a panel of engineering experts. Their products and presentations are great additions to students' resumes and portfolios, he said.

"We are very pleased to recognize PLTW," Wittmans said. "We know we're doing a good job with the students."

Campus Design 39 also won the 2022-23 PLTW Outstanding Launch School Award.

PLTW courses have been an integral part of the learning experience at the Design 39 campus since the school opened 10 years ago, said Principal Bobby Kogi. This award exemplifies the hard work of teachers recognized as creators of learning experiences.

"The program allows students to develop design thinking through engaging and challenging activities, projects and challenges that build on each other and connect to the world around them," Caughey said. “They apply science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) knowledge, skills and abilities and learn that it's okay to take risks and make mistakes. "These courses complement the middle and high school course offerings our students will discover later in their studies."

In one of the courses, "Medical Detectives", students act as real medical detectives, collecting and analyzing medical data to diagnose diseases. "Students unravel medical mysteries through hands-on projects and labs, measure and interpret vital signs, investigate disease outbreaks, and explore how a mistake in the human body can cause dysfunction," Caughey said.

BOE Poway meeting 6/3/20