Project Lead the Way

The Project Lead The Way program was introduced to Johnson High School about four or five years ago when Greg Saunders and Lou Vang went to Colorado Springs to receive training in how to teach engineering classes to high school students. The first class offered was Introduction to Engineering Design. In this particular class, students learned the basics of taking a product from ideas to production. The hands-on approach in collaboration with cutting edge technology at their disposal, makes the class unique and fun for all the students involved. At first, not too many students were interested in the program due to its rigorous demand of time, mathematics, and reasoning skills. However, as the news spread about the program and PLTW in general across the United States, the IED class at Johnson took off in a very big way. Now, with over 50 students taking two IED classes per quarter, the PLTW program at Johnson has blossomed very nicely. Over the last two years, two new classes were added to the PLTW program. They were Principles of Engineering and Digital Electronics. With these new additions, Johnson High School hopes to be at the forefront of cutting edge technology in the Saint Paul Public Schools.

Johnson High School PLTW Courses:

1) Introduction to Engineering Design - Taught by Greg Saunders in room 25. In this class, students will use their mathematics and computer drafting skills to develop and produce a product of their own choosing.

2) Principles of Engineering - Taught by Colin Denis in room 219. In this class, students will use engineering approach to solve various problems posed to them by the teacher. Students are encouraged to use their math and reasoning skills to come up with multiple solutions to certain problems.

3) Digital Electronics - Taught by Theavy Lo in room 25. In this class, students will learn the basics of digital electronics and how electrical components like calculator, cameras, and many other gadgets are designed, assembled, and function. The emphasis of the class will be on digital circuitry. All students will have a chance to design, test, and built various digital circuitry of their choice.

If anyone is interested in learning more about Project Lead The Way, its impact at the local and national level, or just find out more information about the program in general, just click on the links below:

NATIONAL LEVEL:                                      LOCAL LEVEL:

www.pltw.org                                     www.pltw.org/schoollist.asp?toselect=Mn