Graves County H.S. selected to participate in national pilot program | News

GRAVES COUNTY, KY (KFVS) - Project Lead The Way announced on November 7 that Graves County High School has been selected to pilot a new PLTW course in the 2013-2014 school year.

PLTW is the nation’s leading non-profit provider of science, technology, engineering, and math curriculum and professional development to middle and high schools,

The new course is called Computer Science and Software Engineering and will be part of the high school’s Pathway To Engineering program from PLTW. They say the course addresses an ever-growing need for students across all career paths to explore the new questions and tools opened up by massive data collection and processing. The course also exposes students to the high-demand career paths within Computer Science and Information Technology. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that 50 percent of the 2.8 million job openings in STEM through 2018 will be for computer specialists (PCAST Report to The President: Engage to Excel, 2012).

Jim Whitaker, the instructor selected to pilot the course at Graves County High School, is among approximately 50 teachers nationwide participating in the pilot program. These 50 teachers will help instruct the professional development for the teachers who wish to implement the Computer Science and Software Engineering course when becomes available for the full PLTW network in the 2014-15 school year. There are over 5,200 PLTW programs in more than 4,700 schools across the United States. 

PLTW's hands-on, project-based program engages students on multiple levels, exposes them to areas of study that they typically do not pursue, and provides them with a foundation and proven path to college and career success. More than 4,700 schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia are currently offering PLTW courses to their students. For more information, you can visit www.pltw.org.

Graves County High School Project Lead the Way students enrolled in the Engineering Design and Development course are working on a year-long project. Eventually, they will compete with students from a number of schools throughout the region at Murray State University.

Competition will be similar to that of the ABC-TV show "Shark Tank." Travis Lucas, a senior engineer at Pella Corp. has volunteered time on-site and on-line, working with students during the year on their project.

"Our students really benefit from their interaction with Mr. Lucas and he enjoys working with them as well,” said Abbie Morris, principal of the Math/Science/Engineering Academy at Graves County High School. “When professionals lend their expertise to our students, they not only help teach, but also help inspire. We would be very grateful to anyone who can help. I encourage more local business and industry professionals to become involved with the PLTW program. We are especially hoping for support for our new course Digital Electronic and Computer Science Engineering course. We would accommodate schedules and would welcome professional participation, whether on a regular basis or just as a one-time event. Anyone interested is welcome to contact me.”

For questions about the Project Lead The Way program at Graves County High School, please contact Abbie Morris at 270-328-6242 or abbie.morris@graves.kyschools.us.

Copyright 2013 KFVS. All rights reserved.