Project Lead The Way

The School District of Belleville seeks to ensure that each student receives an education that prepares them for the next stage of their life. This upcoming year, the School District of Belleville will introduce Project Lead The Way – a component of STEM. Project Lead the Way offers an opportunity for students discover new subject areas, engage with the community, and achieve their career and educational goals.
All around the area, school districts face the challenge of balancing the need for tech-ed classes and finding licensed teachers. Belleville had the good fortune of hiring Mr. Ed Neumann as our new Project Lead The Way Administrator. Mr. Neumann comes to the district with valuable experience growing a Project Lead The Way program. Mr. Neumann holds certifications in Introduction to Engineering Design, Principles of Engineering, Computer Integrated Manufacturing and Engineering and Design and Development. Mr. Neumann has also earned the designation of Master Teacher in Engineering and Design Development.
Under the new Project Lead The Way curriculum, students will have the opportunity to discover the trades. The new curriculum will lead students through four classes, Introduction to Engineering Design, Trades 1, Trades 2, and Trades 3&4. The new curriculum replaces our old Introduction to Engineering and Aerospace Engineering and combined Trades 3&4. As students progress through these courses, they will grow from learning the basics to having the ability to identify a problem and solve it. These opportunities highlight Belleville’s culture of a school district with small classes with big ideas.
Project Lead The Way also opens the door for students to engage with the community. As the district grows in the curriculum, we want to build relationships with community that lead to student apprenticeships, internships, and other opportunities that allow students to gain first hand experiences in the trades. Experiences like these will certainly assist our students as they transition to either careers or college.
Aside from the hands on learning opportunities, Project Lead The Way allows students to enhance their high school experience. This curriculum gives students the chance to achieve college credit, much like our AP classes. Students who continue their studies in a STEM subject area and participated in a Project Lead The Way program have a stronger likelihood to stay in their major, achieve a higher GPA, and have more job offers.
The School District of Belleville remains committed to providing all students with quality, personalized learning that prepares them to meet the current and future challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. The implementation of Project Lead The Way opens the door for a greater number of students to achieve this vision.