Officials at North Adams Community Schools have announced that Bellmont High School has received national certification for the Project Lead The Way program it has been offering since 2008.

Project Lead The Way offers a curriculum that allows students to apply what they are learning in math and science class to real-life engineering and technology projects. Bellmont students are now eligible to receive college credits at PLTW affiliated universities for certain Pathway to Engineering courses taken at BHS.

According to a press release issued by the school district, a National Business Roundtable report states that to remain competitive in the global marketplace, America needs to graduate 400,000 science, engineering, mathematics and technical four-year degrees annually.  PLTW is providing students with a foundation and proven path to college and career success in these areas, the statement said.

The primary purposes of the certification program are to recognize schools that have successfully demonstrated a commitment to the quality national standards of the Pathway To Engineering program and to provide an opportunity for students to apply for college credits at PLTW affiliated universities.

BHS Principal Scot Croner said, "We've seen how the PLTW program draws more students to engineering and technology courses and gets them thinking about college and their career. We are extremely proud to be PLTW certified and ecstatic that our students can begin receiving college credits for certain PLTW classes."

Croner and a team comprised of teachers, staff, students and members of the community completed a self-assessment of the school's implementation of the Pathway to Engineering program that culminated in a site visit by a national PLTW certification specialist. The certification team met with teachers, administration, counselors, students, community representatives and reviewed student work.

"Bellmont High School has demonstrated its commitment to the quality standards of PLTW's Pathway to Engineering program and the real winners are Bellmont students," John Lock, president and CEO of PLTW, said in the press release. "Students are benefiting from an innovative curriculum that encourages creativity and critical thinking and on top of that, they can earn college credit for some of these courses."

All teachers are required to complete an intensive two-week professional development course during the summer before they can teach a Project Lead the Way course.

"The beauty of PLTW courses is that our kids get to experience how a formula they learned in math applies to a real project," said Josh Salway, a PLTW teacher at Bellmont. "In class, there are no lectures - kids are building, developing and creating. That is the kind of hands-on experience that will engage more students in fields that they might otherwise never consider."