The document discusses the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) engineering program at Wisconsin Lutheran High School. The PLTW program allows students to gain hands-on experience with projects that have real-world applications. Some recent student projects include a knee brace that improves motion and a device that stores bike pedaling energy in a battery for later use to charge phones. The director hopes to expand the program with new equipment and introduce it to middle schools to attract more female students to STEM fields.

1. Wisco Champions
INSIDER
YOUR gifts in action!
Engineering curriculum sets WLHS students
apart with real-world applications
Our WLHS students are constantly thinking about
their futures, about their careers and about what
life-altering technological breakthroughs can help
advance them in life. Just think about it—the next
extraordinary idea could come from one of our
own WLHS graduates! Because that’s exactly what
Director of Trade and Technology, Mr. James Hahm
is thinking about each and every day he teaches
here at WLHS.
Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a unique program
that offers students enormous freedom to invent
and innovate, limited only by their imagination.
Unlike traditional classroom instruction, these
classes offer hands-on experience with real-world
application, proving to students the relevance of
math and science in potential career fields.
PLTW at WLHS is off to an exciting start, but the
possibilities for advancement are limitless.
The first group of students to complete all four years
of the PLTW program wrapped up their capstone
class last semester, with final projects that amazed
their teachers, peers and parents. Here are a
couple of the highlights:
Knee brace: improves motion and improves
standing by 30-40%.
Storable bike power: battery stores energy for later
use, for lights and phone battery charging.
And this is just the beginning. Consider the
wonderful imaginations our students have been
blessed with! As this program continues to grow, it
is exciting to anticipate what innovations might be
showcased at the next capstone presentation.
Your gifts have helped purchase some of the
equipment used today. Currently, WLHS owns a
3-D printer, which allows students to produce
impressive three-dimensional models of their
creations, but Mr. Hahm envisions the program at
an even higher level. His wish list includes a
Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machine,
an engraver/laser/cutting machine and a CNC
plasma cutter. These tools, as well as the addition
of engineering classrooms as part of the Gifted for
Praise building campaign, will set the program at
WLHS apart from other Science, Technology,
Engineering & Math (STEM) schools. Few schools
have the ability to generate the full circle in the
engineering and manufacturing relationship.
September 2014
Hahm hopes PLTW will pique the interest of more young
women like Kara Johnson.
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2. Continued from front side
WLHS students not only learn theory, but experience
the entire real-world process, an invaluable opportunity.
In addition to students’ current achievement,
Mr. Hahm plans to position future students to
achieve even more. STEM fields lack involvement
from women, and studies indicate that in order to
attract girls into technical fields, they should be
exposed to them during middle school. Mr. Hahm
is already working with some of the WLHS
conference grade schools to implement a middle
school version of PLTW. This earlier introduction will
result in even more opportunities for our WLHS
graduates. Mr. Hahm’s efforts represent a vital
component of Wisconsin Lutheran High School’s
mission to “prepare youth in a diverse world for
productive, Christ-centered lives.”
You can view more of these projects on our Flickr
page www.flickr.com/photos/wisconsinlutheranhs
If you would like more information on becoming
a student mentor or participating in this program,
please contact Matt Bilitz at 414-453-4567 ext. 2015
or matt.bilitz@wlhs.org.
Thank you for your faithful financial gifts which make
these outstanding programs possible.
The Wisco Champions Insider is your resource
for first-hand information about how your gifts are
improving the mission of WLHS. For more information
on any of the stories presented here or how you can
further impact any of these programs, please
contact Chief Development Officer Jim Johnson
at 414-453-4567 ext. 2017 or jim.johnson@wlhs.org.
Stay connected to WLHS!
Don’t forget to let us know if your e-mail changed!
We don’t want you to miss out on any of the
exciting things happening here at WLHS.
Contact Nancy Raabe at 414-453-4567 ext 2016
or nancy.raabe@wlhs.org to stay connected.
Avery Meeks presented his work in the Senior Art Show on
May 21, 2014.
Our Hands for His Service raised $30,486 for this year’s mission
project, “Raising the Roof on Everest.” Funds will help complete
the building of 8 Scripture learning centers in the Himalayas.
President Fisher and Tyler Parbs demonstrate a powered
knee brace
Storable bike power conceptual drawing