From the beginning, New Bridge School in Ogden School District in Utah was built for inspiring teaching and collaborative learning. Completed in 2015 to replace an elementary school building, the district chose the name New Bridge to communicate that it houses a pathway into the future.
That pathway is Project Lead The Way, and every student at the school participates in the program.
“As much as possible, we wanted this to be something we all do together, that it’s not just for certain teachers,” said Roger Snow, STEM curriculum coordinator at Ogden School District. “We wanted to make PLTW Launch less of a supplement and more of an integrated, comprehensive model.”
Shawnee Robinson, STEM instructional coach at New Bridge, immerses the teachers into PLTW Launch, because it is the only curriculum they use. Even the building was designed for collaboration. For example, the teachers don’t have desks in their rooms, but rather share an office room where they can learn and plan together.
“There’s really not a sense of ‘This is my class;’ it’s more ‘These are our kids, and we’re in this together,’” Robinson said.
PLTW President and CEO Vince Bertram visited New Bridge School and commended school and district leaders for how committed they are to providing access to PLTW for all students and spoke to how important it is to provide relevant learning experiences.
“How do we give our students intentional experiences that are aligned with our community partners so they are on a path for success?” Bertram asked. “If we want thriving communities, we must have thriving education.”
He said that successes in the classroom, like those seen at New Bridge School, are because of great leadership.
“We do not believe that curriculum alone will transform learning, and that’s why we really focus on supporting teachers,” Bertram said. “This work is driven by great leaders and great teachers. We want you to take this and make it work for you.”
Stay current on Vince’s travels – and the latest in education and workforce development news – by following him on Twitter at @VinceBertram.
