Sharon Gooden, district STEM co‑coordinator, and Erin Wolfe, a STEM teacher at South Elementary, told the MSD Martinsville Schools Board of Trustees about lessons and materials they brought back from the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) summit. After the presentation the board approved a $45,000 Project Lead The Way STEM grant to support district STEM programming.

Gooden and Wolfe described practical classroom takeaways they said they have already begun to implement. They said PLTW’s modules (Launch for elementary, Gateway for middle school and Core for high school) emphasize hands-on problem solving and ethical reasoning. "Ethical reasoning isn't just about the classroom, it's about preparing students to be responsible, thoughtful citizens," Erin Wolfe said.

Staff reported that networking at the summit led to a $5,000 PLTW grant that will be deployed across the district’s elementary schools and pre‑K to buy materials; the presenters said they had not yet heard about additional funding for the middle or high school modules. Board documents and staff comments state the district’s $45,000 Project Lead The Way STEM grant was written in part by Sharon Gooden and Shannon Adams and will be used for grades K–6.

Gooden and Wolfe also described classroom practices they have adopted after the summit, including short "exit ticket" Google forms for student feedback and steps to help paraprofessionals deliver computer science instruction aligned with standards. They said the district team is coordinating lesson plans and a shared toolbox for teachers.

The board approved the STEM grant by voice vote after a motion; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript. Board members congratulated the presenters and noted the grant was competitive.

The district also highlighted a separate community partnership and in-kind donations during the meeting, and staff listed upcoming student events tied to STEM and student programming.