Belleville’s Elementary and Middle Schools Named PLTW Distinguished Schools
BMS students at the UW-Platteville Engineering Expo this spring. Photo courtesy of Peter Swenson
Belleville’s schools continue to build an incredible Project Lead the Way (PLTW) program as the elementary and middle schools were once again awarded the title of “distinguished.” This designation will be highlighted by District Administrator Nate Perry at the upcoming Belleville School Board meeting. It is something Perry is proud of, as he has seen the PLTW program develop in Belleville during his time serving the school district.
Perry notes, “On Wednesday, May 1st, Project Lead the Way notified the district that Belleville Elementary School and Belleville Middle School were once again named ‘Distinguished Schools.’ This keeps a string of similar honors dating back to the 2018-19 school year.”
The elementary school joins just 27 other Wisconsin schools as Distinguished Launch Schools, setting it apart as a wonderful opportunity in a rural district to give students opportunities that will impact their futures. The middle school is also one of just 13 Distinguished Gateway Schools in the state. Project Lead the Way notes that only 537 elementary schools and 219 middle schools across the country received this honor by “empowering students to thrive in an evolving world and achieving exemplary results from your PLTW programs.” This is great news for Belleville as a learning community and for families seeking trend-setting educational environments for their students to be ready for the future demands of tech-heavy industries.
To be eligible for the designation at the elementary level, at least 75% of the student body must participate in the program. The school must also offer at least one PLTW Launch module at each grade level during the school year.
Principal Schmit is excited to see Belleville Elementary recognized again as a distinguished school.
Schmit notes, “Students in grades 4K-6 participate in up to four PLTW units a year. Students work in a hands-on and problem solving capacity with their peers while receiving feedback and guidance from their teacher. This provides an opportunity for students to be exposed to units like coding and robotics. It really does add value and a different type of learning for our students!”
At the middle school level, Belleville qualified under three requirements: Offering at least one PLTW Gateway unit at each grade level. Having at least 50% of the student body participate in PLTW units during the 2022-23 school year. Having strategies in place that support proportional student representation with regard to race, ethnicity, economically-disadvantaged, and/or gender.
As MS/HS Associate Principal Kyle Loshaw prepares to step into the role of Belleville’s MS/HS Principal in the fall, he is confident that the Belleville Middle School will continue to be a place students get to explore STEM learning.
Loshaw underscores, “We are extremely proud of the unique opportunities our students are able to get while in Middle School. Our staff goes above and beyond to make these courses both rigorous and student centered.”
Belleville has invested in PLTW program opportunities across its school district so its students can be ready for the rigors that careers and post-secondary education will demand. Project Lead the Way curriculum offers hands-on learning experiences in STEM education that help prepare students at each stage of learning for innovation and creative problem-solving. Belleville’s programs have steadily received annual recognition for their excellence in achieving the goals PLTW sets out for its schools to achieve.
