NEWS

Lourdes Academy focuses on STEM

Karen Boehm, Reader submitted

The US Department of Commerce estimates that by 2018 the US will have more than 1.2 million unfilled STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) jobs because there will not be enough qualified workers to fill them. This job skills gap could impact numerous industries, including medicine, engineering and computer science to name a few.

Lourdes Academy is working to reverse that trend by integrating STEM learning principles into its PreK-12 school system.

“As a system, we can start addressing the skills gap at a young age and encourage STEM skill development throughout a student’s education so that they are best prepared to make decisions about colleges and careers,” said Lourdes Academy President Bob Biebel. “Lourdes is partnering with Project Lead the Way to make this vision a reality.”

Project Lead the Way (PLTW), the nation’s leading provider of STEM programs, combines a world-class K-12 curriculum, quality professional development and outstanding partnerships to help students develop the skills needed to succeed in the global economy.

Students develop critical and creative thinking skills and problem solving skills, then apply what they’ve learned in different situations.

“When students can be actively involved in the learning process, it’s a more meaningful experience and they are more likely to retain what they have learned,” Biebel said. “That’s what PLTW brings to the table.”

PLTW consists of three programs — Launch for elementary school, Gateway for middle school and Pathways in Engineering, Biomedical Science and Computer Science for high school. Lourdes Academy plans to roll out the PLTW program system-wide over the next four years beginning with grades 4-6 in 2015-16.

The program will expand to cover grades 2 through 7 in 2016-17 and kindergarten through grade 9 the following year. Finally, in year four, the high school Pathways would be incorporated. This implementation structure ensures that once students begin the PLTW program at Lourdes Academy, they will continue with it through graduation.

“Our mission is to prepare students for life, college and a relationship with God,“ Biebel added. “By partnering with PLTW, we can best equip our students for 21st Century jobs and beyond.”

To help implement the program, Lourdes Academy formed a PLTW Partnership Team made up of business representatives from various industries and Lourdes Academy faculty and staff. The Partnership Team is lead by Jeff Slusarski, operations at Dynamic Drinkware, and Marie Dudenas, engineer with Oshkosh Corporation.

“I can speak for the Partnership Team and say that the excitement for what this program (PLTW) means for students and local area businesses is extremely high,” Slusarski said. “This is exactly the type of learning environment students should have access to for helping to fulfill the gap for STEM related jobs in our local area businesses. In short, we have a say in what our future workforce will look like. That’s exciting!”

In addition to the resources Lourdes Academy is investing in the program, Lourdes has also received support from businesses in the community that support STEM integration, including more than $50,000 in grant funding and private donations.

“This is a great way to get local businesses, faculty and administration together around a program where everyone benefits, now and for a lifetime,” Slusarski added.