This is the first year that seventh and eighth graders could take the Design and Modeling class at Chief. It is part of a plan to expand CTE classes, which are commonly offered at the high school level, into Battle Ground Public Schools' middle schools. Next year at Chief, the school will also offer Automation and Robotics, a class that requires students to apply problem solving, collaboration, teamwork and innovation skills as they learn about mechanical systems, energy transfer, machine automation and computer control systems. Design and modeling is also offered at Pleasant Valley Middle School, as well as Automation and Robotics, and Daybreak will offer Design & Modeling next year with a 3D printer of its own.
The Battle Ground Public Schools district has used Project Lead the Way's high school program in its principles of engineering class and others at Prairie High School, and has been working to build a CTE program in its middle schools for the past few years. The expansion has meant planning for changes to middle school buildings, including a renovation of the woodshop at Pleasant Valley Middle School, which now houses a STEM classroom and an adjacent, comprehensive shop. The renovation was partially funded by a grant. At Chief it meant making accommodations to purchase the software and 3D printer necessary to teach the course effectively and to train the teacher.
The curriculum makes mathematics and science relevant to everyday life through hands-on projects that show students how the skills they are learning in the classroom can be applied to real-world applications.
Morgann Nazaroff is taking Chief Umtuch's Design and Modeling class for a second term, but has taken on the role of a teaching assistant. The eighth grader excelled in the class her first term, and ended up exploring programming. This term she is using her skills and the school's 3D printer to create a prosthetic hand that could be fit to a person who needs it through the e-NABLE Community project. The project uses emerging technologies like 3D printing to create assistive devices at a fraction of the cost of creating them with other technologies. "I enjoy the class," Nazaroff said. "We always have fun and I get to make things."