Mid-Prairie Middle School is improving upon their STEM program “Project Lead the Way” next year.

The Mid-Prairie administrative team requested at last week’s board meeting that the district hire a new full time teacher to implement “Project Lead the Way” at the middle school. Mid-Prairie Superintendent Mark Schneider talks about the program, “Project Lead the Way is a program that’s been in existence for quite a while, and it is related to the STEM initiative to try to get more engineering and math and science experiences for students in the classrooms.”

Schneider discusses how the new full-time position will be used next year, “This person will be full time at the middle school. A schedule will be created and students will be rotated through this classroom just like they’re rotated through an art classroom, family consumer science classroom. Students then will have hands-on experiences in the areas of science, math, and engineering.” Schneider says “Project Lead the Way” was used in some capacity before in different middle school activities and clubs, but this new plan will be a more concentrated effort. A motion was carried unanimously to add this position at an approximate cost of $50,000 to the district.