Creativity and thinking outside the box happen daily at Buncombe County Schools (BCS). Walk into Laurel Hawkins’ Project Lead the Way class at Charles D. Owen Middle School and you will be surrounded by a room full of creative thinkers.
“Life will always throw wrenches in the best laid plans,” said Ms. Hawkins. “It’s important to give students the skills they need in order to solve any problem that arises.”
Students were given a challenge to build a walking boot or foot orthosis out of materials found in the classroom. Ms. Hawkins did lay out some criteria for this lesson; as intended, it created challenges for students to overcome.
“Some of the materials the students selected did not hold together well,” she said. “The foot orthosis had to attach/wrap the lower leg and foot, limit movement at the ankle so the toes could not go down, but still allow the toes to go up, be comfortable and easily removable. There were groups that had to rethink new and improved ways to make their boots work.”
Project Lead the Way (PLTW) provides BCS middle and high school students with a transformative learning experience that is focused on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Students participate in hands-on problem solving, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking as they focus on real-world challenges. PLTW is offered at the following middle schools; A.C. Reynolds Middle, Erwin Middle, Owen Middle, Enka Middle, North Buncombe Middle, Valley Springs Middle, and Cane Creek Middle. The following high schools also participate in PLTW; A.C. Reynolds High, Erwin High, Enka High, Martin L. Nesbitt Jr. Discovery Academy, North Buncombe High, and T.C. Roberson High.
