Milwaukee Public Schools’ Frederick J. Gaenslen School is gaining national recognition for its Project Lead the Way (PLTW) pre-engineering program.

Gaenslen won PLTW’s Gateway to Technology National Recognition for its commitment to the rigorous program, which connects math and science curriculum to hands-on engineering and technology projects. Recognized schools are honored in part for administrative support, training, proper facilities and adherence to curriculum.

“We are so excited about the success of our PLTW program!” Principal Tamara Hines said. “It supports our math and science curriculum and exposes students to the many careers in engineering. We’re grateful to our university and business partners, including Johnson Controls, who are critical to our success!”

“STEM connects with every aspect of life,” Gaenslen PLTW instructor Ajamu Olaniyan said. “The basic concepts our students learn through PLTW give them a foundation of problem solving and skill application. These are real-world skills.”

“We’re proud of Gaenslen and all of our schools that use Project Lead the Way to expose students to the STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and math – in a hands-on way,” MPS Superintendent Gregory Thornton said.