Kankakee Valley Middle School Teacher Wins Major Classroom Equipment Drawing at National PLTW Conference

Students at Kankakee Valley Middle School are set to benefit from a major upgrade to their STEM curriculum, thanks to a lucky win by Project Lead the Way (PLTW) teacher Mr. Armstrong.

Mr. Armstrong had been planning to request approximately $6,000 in funding to overhaul the school’s existing “Green Architecture” course, transitioning it next year into an advanced “Building for the Future” curriculum. However, those fundraising plans took an unexpected and thrilling turn earlier this week.

While attending a PLTW conference in Indianapolis, Mr. Armstrong entered a drawing—and was selected as the lucky winner to receive nearly a complete set of the required curricular materials and equipment.

The windfall of new resources will instantly provide students with state-of-the-art tools and hands-on learning materials. The upgraded classroom experience will give middle schoolers expanded opportunities to explore modern engineering concepts, create innovative designs, and solve real-world problems related to sustainable building and future technologies.

“We are incredibly grateful to PLTW and the conference organizers for their generous support of classroom learning,” Assistant Superintendent, Mike Spagna stated. “This is a tremendous win that enriches our students’ educational experience, and it highlights Mr. Armstrong’s dedication to bringing the most engaging opportunities possible to our school.”

The new equipment will be integrated into the newly minted “Building for the Future” course starting in the upcoming school year.