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North Brookfield schools get $75,000 in grants, expand Project Lead The Way and pilot arts–learning program
Summary
Superintendent reported two grants totaling $75,000 to expand Project Lead The Way manufacturing classes at the high school and to buy durable equipment. The committee also heard a presentation on CATLAB, an arts-integration pilot funded by the Mass Cultural Council that produced videos with K–2 students.
The Town of North Brookfield School Committee on Monday heard two updates that will expand hands-on STEM and arts instruction across the district.
Superintendent's announcement: the district received an additional $40,000 for Project Lead The Way (PLTW) enhancements at the high school and an additional $35,000 tied to an Innovative Career Pathway designation from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Together the grants give the district $75,000 to add four PLTW manufacturing courses at North Brookfield High School and to purchase durable equipment the district otherwise could not afford.
Why it matters: the funding will allow the district to offer manufacturing-focused coursework and to acquire machines and equipment that support applied learning at the high school level.
Details reported at the meeting: the superintendent said the purchases will include a bench milling machine, five bench robotics kits, a 3D printer and robotic arms; staff said the purchases are intended to support four distinct high-school manufacturing classes. The district plans to discuss the detailed class implementation at an upcoming STEAM night and in department planning meetings.
Arts integration pilot: the committee also heard from Channing LeBlanc, who described CATLAB (Creative Action and Thinking Lab), an arts-integration pilot launched at the elementary school. The pilot received a grant from the Mass Cultural Council that paid artists and technical personnel to work in K–2 classrooms. Musician/artist Mark Vialschwoller led songwriting sessions and recordings; film major Aspen Qualis filmed and edited the classroom videos.
LeBlanc said the project worked with kindergarten and second-grade classes to create short recorded songs and videos that reinforced academic skills — letter identification and phonics in kindergarten and high-frequency words and an ELA unit theme in second grade. Teachers used the materials during instruction and students experienced a mock recording-studio session.
Next steps: the district will roll CATLAB into first- and fourth-grade pilots in quarter four and plans broader expansion if additional grant support is secured. Administrators said STEAM night will include demonstrations of the new equipment and the CATLAB videos.
What was not decided: the committee did not vote on curriculum adoption or on hiring decisions tied to the new PLTW classes at this meeting; implementation and staffing details will be developed in coming weeks.
