Project Lead The Way Certified

Spring Branch ISD’s third high school program focusing on engineering, science and technology through project-based learning is now certified through a national nonprofit organization known as Project Lead The Way (PLTW).

The PLTW program at Northbrook High School, now headed into its third year of operation, was certified earlier this spring by the national project group.
The Northbrook High program had 48 students this year. Student enrollment is expected to double over the next year or so, instructors say.

With PLTW certification, Northbrook High joins similar programs at Memorial and Stratford high schools. The nonprofit PLTW organization’s goal is to help more students prepare for the global economy by learning more about science, mathematics, technology and engineering.

Northbrook High instructor John Hansen said that the program’s recent inspection and review went well. He’s been with the program at Northbrook two years. “They were very happy with the dramatic improvements we have made. As a result, we’re fully certified now as a Project Lead The Way School,” he said.

Hansen holds a doctorate in technical and vocational education. He’s helped guide the engineering design and construction program on campus. The Northbrook High program is seeking a business or industry partner in the area, one that will help students make the connection between their learning projects and future careers.

In August, Northbrook High’s program will offer PLTW courses on Introduction to Engineering Design, Principles of Engineering, and Computer Integrated Manufacturing. Students take program classes in a planned, systematic way.

“I want to be a civil engineer,” says Carlos Canales, a Northbrook High sophomore. “I’ve been working in construction, and I do like it. I want to be the one making up the construction plans, the one doing it and not just the worker.”

“We get to build things by hand and test them. It’s fun to make things like the robots that you see here,” says Devaughn Blanco, another PLTW program student. He wants to be an auto mechanic.
To learn more about PTLW, please visit: https://www.pltw.org/