Hononegah named 2024-25 Distinguished School for Project Lead The Way

Hononegah Community High School announced today that it has been recognized as a 2024-25 Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Distinguished School. The Rockton program, led by technology educator Liz McLevige, promotes STEM career pathways in computer science and engineering as part of a program that is nearly 30 years old, with more than 116,000 trained teachers in 12,200+ schools across all 50 states using the curriculum. Only fourteen high schools in Illinois achieved Distinguished School status this year. PLTW works with industry partners, PreK-12 schools, colleges and universities, and corporate and philanthropic partners across the country.

In 2021, for their PLTW senior design project, three Hononegah students worked with Regal Cutting Tools, a Roscoe manufacturing company, in redesigning their tool-hauling fixtures.

Mr. Chad Dougherty, Principal of Hononegah Community High School, says, “We are incredibly proud of the dedication shown by our PLTW students. Thanks to the support of our Community Partners and the creativity of Mrs. McLevige, students are immersed in engaging, real-world learning experiences that inspire them to take on the challenges of more rigorous PLTW courses."

• The PLTW Computer Science interdisciplinary courses engage students in compelling, real-world computer science challenges. As students work together to design solutions, they learn more than just how to code, developing computational thinking and communication skills for our increasingly technology-based economy.
• PLTW Engineering empowers high school students to step into the role of an engineer and adopt a problem-solving mindset. Students engage in collaborative, real-life activities like working with a client to design a home, programming electronic devices or robotic arms, and exploring algae as a biofuel source.

Hononegah offers several PLTW classes each semester.

• Intro Engineering Design (with a Puzzle Cube design challenge, Reverse Engineering, and a team design challenge)
• Principles of Engineering (with bridge building, simple machine design project, and marble sorting)
• Civil Engineering & Architecture (a long-term project focusing on the development of a local property site)
• Digital Electronics (where students analyze, design and build digital electronic circuits)
• Computer Integrated Manufacturing (using robotics, automation, CAD, and CNC equipment to produce actual models of their three-dimensional designs)
• Honors Engineering Design & Development (teams of students work on a solution to an open-ended engineering problem, defending it before a panel of outside reviewers and working with a business mentor)
• PLTW Computer Science Essentials (student create usable apps with a block-based programming language and later the Python programming language)
• PLTW AP Computer Science Principles (using Python, students practice APP development, visualization of data, cybersecurity, and simulation)

To be eligible for the Distinguished designation, Hononegah Community High School had to meet several criteria in the 2023-24 school year such as the number of PLTW courses available to students, percent of its 1,800 students who are enrolled in PLTW, percentage of students taking more than one PLTW course, and efforts to ensure equitable access to PLTW courses.

“We are proud to recognize Hononegah Community High School for their commitment to providing students with exceptional educational experiences while ensuring equitable access to PLTW programs,” said Dr. David Dimmett, PLTW President and CEO. "This achievement celebrates their dedication to student achievement and their focus on empowering students with the knowledge and skills necessary for success in school and a wide range of post-secondary opportunities.”

For nearly 30 years, Project Lead The Way (PLTW) has prepared PreK–12 students for careers, college, and life by equipping them with the STEM knowledge, credential preparation, transferable skills, and confidence to succeed. Our hands-on, real-world learning, deep industry partnerships and clear, scaffolded curriculum guide students from early career curiosity to postsecondary readiness. With strong professional development taught by a national network of more than 116,000 trained teachers in 12,200+ schools across all 50 states, PLTW enables schools to design scalable, future-focused programs that inspire students, empower educators, and connect learning to life after graduation.