Quaker Valley School District to add new middle school STEM course

Quaker Valley School District officials plan to expand their middle school curriculum with a new project-based engineering eighth-grade course.

Next school year is expected to be the third straight year for class additions through Project Lead the Way, a nonprofit that develops STEM curriculum — science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

It is designed to engage learners through hands-on projects that address real-world challenges, according to teacher Joe Prosdicimo.

Students learn about teamwork, communication and critical thinking, problem identification and collaboration as they complete tasks beyond tests in the nine-week courses.

“They get to explore all kinds of different avenues,” he said. “We’re in a rotation with art and music, family consumer science, physical education and fitness. They give the kids a little taste and try to hit everything.”

The board was expected to vote in favor of the eighth-grade course, automation and robotics, at its Feb. 20 meeting. This issue of the Sewickley Herald went to press on Feb. 15.

Daniela Helkowski, school board vice president and chair of the educational services committee chair, said she and her colleagues are excited to provide more educational opportunities for young learners.

“It is rewarding to see programs like Project Lead the Way find success, and continue to grow throughout the district,” she said. “We are so excited that Mr. Prodoscimo will be teaching these courses and exposing our middle school students to the engineering design process, as well as opening their eyes to empathy and helping others by solving real-world problems.

“Adding this course at the eighth-grade level creates yet another subject area where students can experiment and find what piques their interest and passion to learn.”

Project Lead the Way’s sixth-grade course, design and modeling, was introduced in the 2022-23 school year.

The district approved its seventh-grade course, flight and space, for this school year.

About 160 students per grade level participate in the required classes.

Prosdicimo would go through additional training in March and prepare to teach all three courses next school year.

He explained the currently offered courses and gave a general overview of what the eighth-grade course would look like.

“It’s super engaging from day one,” he said about the courses. “Project Lead the Way has them up out of their seat with an instant design challenge. It’s not like coming in and experiencing a whole bunch of knowledge.

“They want them busy and kind of show what you know first, and then reflect on the design process. It starts the quarter with a bang and it just keeps on going from there.”

The sixth-grade course includes basic sketching skills for students to learn how to communicate ideas like engineers.

It advances to 3D modeling using computer-aided drafting to create therapeutic toys for children with ailments such as cerebral palsy.

They study fictional children’s profiles, see their specific needs and goals to create prototypes to make their lives better.

Seventh graders learn about planes and flight in the first part of the course.

They create flight plans and establish a crew among other activities. They also work with drones and navigate an obstacle course to deliver supplies to an area devastated by a natural disaster.

The back half of the program deals with space including how to get to and live on Mars.

Prosdicimo said students in both grade levels are always actively learning. He does not have the eighth-grade curriculum yet.

He said preliminary information indicates lesson one would involve gears and building small robots and programming sensors. Students would eventually build a robot to create art and perform a task.

Other activities include creating an assembly line, a set design for a movie, a transportation system or building off lessons learned from previous courses.

“I’m excited to get my hands on the curriculum here and open it up and see what it’s all about,” Prosdicimo said.

The high school also has some Project Lead the Way courses, which are electives.