Gahr 'Principal for a Day' Highlights New Program

A new curricular program emphasizing the practical usage of math and science was highlighted last week as Gahr High School participated in the ABC School District's "Principal for a Day" event.

Gahr hosted San Diego State College of Engineering's Dr. Bruce Westermo, who serves as an affiliate director of a program known as Project Lead the Way. 

Project Lead the way is a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curricular program that gives middle and high school students a hands on and practical usage for math and science skills.

Once the program is implemented, Gahr students will have access to STEM classes that will put a big emphasis on interactive learning with students taking a leadership role during classes.

"There is this middle group of kids who could really excel at math and science but they don't know why they want to. They don't see relevance," explained Westermo. 

Westermo said the relevance kids are looking for will come when students find themselves using math and science to build a robot or even a solar panel electricity grid during their classes.

Under the program, Gahr students will also work with the most up to date software that is used by engineering and technology companies every day.  Mastering the software will not only expand their math and science education, but also add practical knowledge that can be added to a resume when searching for a job.

Westermo explained that even getting a job as a receptionist or salesperson at a technology company requires at least some degree of technical literacy.

"As a high school, I can't necessarily offer kids straight up career training. We as a school have kind of held onto a few pathways where kids could get a feel for a field," said Gahr High School principal Gina Zietlow.  "What has been missing is something math or science," she said.

Zietlow also said one of the program's strengths is that it is checked and sponsored by some of the major employers and universities in the science and technology fields-- the very same employers who will be hiring students in the future.

Gahr High School hopes to implement the program in the Fall of 2012 and Dr. Westermo's visit during Principal for a Day was a good way for him to see how the school currently functions.

"It is really a chance to open our doors and have someone really see what happens and what [the school] looks like," said Zietlow.

During a three-hour tour of the high school campus, Westermo visited math and science classes and also met with teachers who will participate in Project Lead the Way. 

In addition to a new curriculum for students, Project Lead the Way, through affiliations with colleges such as San Diego State, will provide teachers with the necessary training in science and engineering needed to teach the rigorous classes. 

"For [the teachers], it is an opportunity to give kids a new opportunity at something they can do with math," said Zietlow.

Although teachers will be present in the classroom, students will work in groups and help each other learn the material while participating in practical activities.  Rather than sit through a lecture, Zietlow says the program will "put students at the center of the learning experience."

There are about 300 schools in California who have already implemented the program and Westermo says there have been measured results from students who participate. 

Westermo says kids who complete the program are six to seven times more likely to choose a career in engineering technology and four to five times more likely to go on to a two or four year program after high school.

As for Gahr High School, Westermo was impressed with his visit and says the school is a great environment for the program. 

"This is a fantastic school," he said.  "The kids are involved, you have teachers here to want to be here, and they are doing a good job."