South-West Schools are extremely proud to have classrooms filled with “prospective medical detectives” in grades 6-8. Project Lead the Way’s (PLTW) Medical Detectives Program provides students with rigorous hands-on labs that allow them to collect and analyze medical data to diagnose diseases. PLTW is an extension of Assistant Superintendent Samantha Lott-Velez’s vision to ensure that “...our schools will continue to put programs in place that give our students opportunity to engage in experiences that nurture their interests and expose them to career paths.”
All PLTW schools are looking forward to continuing their White Coat Ceremonies, which serve as a rites of passage initiative designed to inspire middle school students to seek out STEM fields. Last year, there were 143 participants in six PLTW schools. This year there are nine PLTW schools - Avon Avenue, Belmont Runyon, Chancellor Avenue, Ivy Hill, Lincoln, Mount Vernon, Peshine Avenue, South Seventeenth Street, and Speedway Avenue– that offer PLTW during the school day or after school. These schools will also offer another PLTW course, Green Architecture, in the spring to middle school students.