Daphine Hunter

Natalie Lartigue

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Middle school and high school teachers from several states and around Louisiana were recently recognized upon their completion of a two-week training program for Project Lead the Way held at Northwestern State University, Louisiana’s PLTW university affiliate.  The training included classroom instruction, projects and team activities to prepare the teachers to implement Project Lead the Way in their classrooms this fall.

Two Plaquemines Parish teachers completed the training.

Daphine Hunter of Phoenix High School completed Gateway To Technology-Foundation for middle school students.

Natalie Lartigue of Belle Chasse Middle School completed PLTW’s Gateway To Technology-Basic last year and returned to complete GTT-Specialized.

Project Lead the Way is a non-profit program designed to introduce engineering principles to middle and high school students.  The program integrates math, science and technology in projects that encourage youngsters to pursue careers in science, technology, mathematics and engineering (STEM). Administrators hope the program will help today’s students be productive in domestic and global workforce markets and attract high tech industry to Louisiana.

“What you do for students and how you excite them has an impact in our state and our nation and we thank you,” said Dr. Phil Brown upon presenting each educator a certificate.  Brown assistant professor in NSU’s Department of Engineering and Technology and PLTW affiliate director.

Bobby Nowlin, head of Northwestern State’s Department of Engineering Technology and Computer Information Systems, said that the university, which began its PLTW affiliation in 2009, is now enrolling students who participated in Project Lead the Way as middle and high schoolers.

“We’re starting to get students here at Northwestern that were Project Lead the Way students.  Here in our department, we can tell that they’ve had training,” he said.