PLTW and Elkhorn Area School District recently hosted a showcase of the district’s full PreK-12 STEM pathways, which featured PLTW Transformative Partner Ardagh Group along with other community partners for the district. Approximately 40 teachers and administrators from surrounding communities attended the full-day event to learn more about PLTW programs and experience PLTW classrooms firsthand.
“We are very honored to have teachers and administrators from the states of Wisconsin and Illinois visit our school district,” Eryca Card, a PLTW teacher for the district located in southeast Wisconsin, said. “We are a Distinguished PLTW District and always are looking for ways to give back to the community that has given so much to us since starting this PLTW journey over a decade ago.”
The event showcased all PLTW programs and included a group of elementary and middle school students who spoke about the impact of PLTW curriculum. Elkhorn School District leaders hosted a panel of industry employers, including Ardagh, and higher education representatives. The showcase also included multiple classroom visits where attendees witnessed the students engage in hands-on learning.
“We pride ourselves on being able to showcase our students, our staff, and our program but also being able to bring a network of teachers and administrators to our district for collaboration, networking, and communication,” Card said. “PLTW is a world class curriculum that embodies the whole student and pushes teachers and administrators to the highest level of performance. In turn, we are joined by numerous partners, such as Ardagh, and other local partners that help us build a journey for our students to achieve their future goals and aspirations in any career that they choose.”
The district began PLTW with PLTW Engineering in 2008 and expanded in 2014 to bring PLTW Launch and PLTW Gateway to the district.
“There are many great STEM programs and curriculum out there,” Elkhorn Area School District Superintendent Jason Tadlock said. “We chose PLTW because no other program provides the networking and collaboration opportunities that PLTW does. Learning through visiting others, speaking with others, and seeing what students are doing in action is the best form of professional development that a teacher or educational leader can experience.
Over the years, the district has added additional PLTW programs across its schools and now offers all five PLTW curricular programs. Over the last two years, the district has received PLTW Grants supported by Ardagh totaling $195,000 to support expansion of PLTW across the district.
“By partnering with Project Lead The Way and school districts like Elkhorn, Ardagh has the opportunity to invest in communities across the U.S. where our employees live and work as part of our global education initiative,” Ardagh’s Global Head of Education Programs Sean Cosgrove said. “We are committed to increasing access to high-quality STEM education now, to inspire the next generation.”
Across the U.S., Ardagh has funded PLTW Grants supporting more than 400 schools to date located in 24 communities where their employees live and work. Their involvement goes beyond financial support, with Ardagh Ambassadors at each of their 22 U.S. facilities focused on employee engagement with the schools and districts they fund, such as panel representation at district showcases like this one.
“We hope that all districts, schools, teachers, and administrators who visited our PLTW Distinguished District walked away seeing PLTW in action, hearing the value and impact of PLTW directly from our students, and understanding the importance of amazing partnerships within the community,” Card said.
Watch this video to learn more about Ardagh’s Burlington, Wisconsin, glass facility and their partnership with schools in that community through their support of PLTW to further STEM education.