HAMMONDSVILLE — The Edison Local School District has received national recognition from Project Lead the Way.

Edison has been named a 2024-25 PLTW Distinguished District while Edison High School received the PLTW Distinguished Gateway School distinction and Stanton and John Gregg elementary schools were honored as PLTW Distinguished Launch Schools through the national nonprofit organization.

According to PLTW officials, the organization creates transformative learning experiences through STEM and empowers students to develop in-demand knowledge and skills for future careers. To qualify, the district must have had at least 20 percent of students in each grade (K-12) participate in a PLTW program during the previous school year or ensured that every school in the district earned a 2023-24 PLTW Distinguished School Award.

District leaders were notified in May and received banners to display at the high school, Stanton Elementary and John Gregg Elementary buildings as part of the honor.

“We’re excited and honored to recognize (Edison),” the notice stated. “Thank you for your work to empower today’s students to thrive in an evolving world and achieving exemplary results from your PLTW programs.”

District Superintendent Bill Beattie said it was an honor to be recognized.

“It is exciting because we received this award so quickly,” Beattie said. “It is a testament to (Assistant Superintendent) Julie Kireta and the staff at the high school and elementary schools for all of the work they have put into it.”

Kireta said there are benefits to the PLTW curriculum.

“We increased students’ exposure to engagement and achievement through PLTW. It’s based on the percentage of students participating and the PLTW units,” she said. “All of since enacting our K-8 students participate while the high school varies by program. We started using it at elementary schools in 2019 and at the high school in 2021 for project-based learning. I’m happy that we’ve received the designation from PLTW. It’s upper-level thinking skills and applying them to learning.”

She noted that it provides an opportunity for students to have a STEM-based curriculum that is hands-on, and it had proven to be successful at the elementary schools and was included at the high school. Edison offers PLTW Launch (PreK-5), PLTW Gateway (6-8) and PLTW (Computer Science, Engineering and Biomedical Science) at Edison High School. When students have earlier access to STEM education and concepts, they are more likely to pursue a career in that field. PLTW’s activity-, project-, and problem-based instructional design centers on real-world activities, problems and projects that help students to connect their learnings from the classroom and how that is applied in everyday life.

EHS Principal Matthew Morrison, Stanton Principal Kodi Peterson and John Gregg Principal Tammy Burchfield were thrilled to see their buildings gain recognition.

“What a fantastic honor,” Morrison said. “We have a very young PLTW program here at Edison and to be able to be recognized with these awards so quickly says a lot about our students and staff. We appreciate the board of education and administration for making this commitment to our students in these wonderful pathways.”

“We’re honored to be part of Edison’s Project Lead the Way Designated District, a recognition that reflects our commitment to empowering students through hands-on, real-world STEM learning,” added Peterson. “This award celebrates the innovation and dedication of our staff, students, and community. We’re proud to be part of a district leading the way in STEM education!”

“I’m so proud of this program and all of the teachers involved. It’s awesome to be recognized for being committed to helping students own their education by increasing student access, engagement and achievement in their PLTW programs,” Burchfield continued. “We love watching our students get excited about learning.”

“We are proud to honor the district for its commitment to providing students with exceptional educational experiences through PLTW programs,” said PLTW President and CEO David Dimmett. “This achievement celebrates their dedication to student achievement and their focus on empowering students with the knowledge and skills necessary for success in school and a wide range of post-secondary opportunities.”

Edison Local Schools is part of a community of PreK-12 schools, colleges and universities and corporate and philanthropic partners across the country united around a passion for providing students with inspiring, engaging and empowering learning opportunities. For information about PLTW’s Distinguished Program Recognition, visit pltw.org/our-programs/program-recognition.

For information on Edison’s PLTW programs, contact Kireta at (740) 282-0065.