Blue Ridge School District is excited to announce that they have received a combined $9000 in grant support for their “Project Lead the Way Computer Science Engineering” courses from the Williams Corporation and Waste Management for the 2016-2017 School Year. Waste Management provided its grant through the Pennsylvania Education Improvement Tax Credit Program administered in northeastern PA by The Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains.  The grants will support extensive professional development for PLTW teacher Mr. Michael Courtright and assist in the purchase of the specialized computer equipment utilized by the students.  The school district is grateful for the contributions to our programs.  The funds will help Blue Ridge continue to provide a world class STEM education to students in rural Susquehanna County and achieve its goal of preparing them for college and careers after graduation.   

PLTW’s Computer Science program is a multi-year course for high school students, designed to develop their computational thinking abilities, expand their knowledge of career paths that utilize computing, and introduce professional tools that foster creativity and collaboration. Using Python® as a primary tool and incorporating multiple platforms and languages for computation, PLTW helps students develop programming expertise and explore the workings of the Internet. Projects and problems include app development, visualization of data, cybersecurity and simulation. Through PLTW’s comprehensive professional development model, PLTW CSE/CSP teachers receive all of the course materials, support and resources they need.

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a nonprofit organization that provides a transformative learning experience for K-12 students and teachers across the U.S. PLTW empowers students to develop in- demand, transportable knowledge and skills through pathways in computer science, engineering and biomedical science. PLTW’s teacher training and resources support teachers as they engage their students in real-world learning. More than 8,000 elementary, middle, and high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia offer PLTW programs.