Fair / 43° F
FFHS adding engineering courses
Published 1:34pm Tuesday, February 24, 2009The Fergus Falls School Board’s agreement to partner with Project Lead The Way, a not-for-profit corporation based in New York, will mean four new high school engineering courses, starting with one course offered during fall semester 2009.
The move comes nearly one week after Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren met in Fergus Falls with local school and community leaders to discuss the importance of an improved math and science curriculum.
The district will begin training one teacher this summer, who will be responsible for teaching Introduction to Engineering Design. Funding for such training will come out of the district’s staff development fund.
At this point, the district already has the hardware and software necessary to offer the course in 2009. In order to continue the program, the district will be applying for grants geared towards engineering programs, said superintendent Jerry Ness.
The district is planning to add one additional course each year for the next four years.
In the district’s agreement with Project Lead The Way, students must be enrolled in college preparatory mathematics in order to be enrolled in the high school engineering program course.
The district’s plans are being welcomed by business leaders who are partnering with the school to expose students to potential careers in engineering, using local businesses as examples.
“We hope to make students aware of all the things available in our own community through this program,” Ness said.
