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Jackson Elementary Receives National Recognition from Project Lead The Way for Commitment to Student Achievement
Named a distinguished school for excellence in STEM education

Jackson Elementary School announced today that it has been recognized as a 2024-25 Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Distinguished School. This honor is given to a select number of elementary schools across the U.S. for providing broad access to transformative learning experiences for students through PLTW Launch, an elementary STEM curriculum. PLTW is a national nonprofit organization that creates transformative learning experiences and empowers students to develop in-demand knowledge and skills for future careers.   

The PLTW Distinguished School recognition honors schools committed to increasing student access, engagement, and achievement in their PLTW programs. To be eligible for the designation, Jackson Elementary had to have more than 75 percent of the student body participating in the program and had to offer at least one PLTW Launch module at each grade level during the 2023-24 school year. 

Research indicates that students form opinions and develop interest in math and science as early as elementary school. Through activities like designing a car safety belt or creating digital animations inspired by their own short stories, PLTW Launch students engage in critical and creative thinking, enhance teamwork abilities, and develop a passion for and confidence in STEM subjects.  

“We are proud to honor Jackson Elementary for their commitment to providing students with exceptional educational experiences through PLTW programs,” said Dr. David Dimmett, PLTW President and CEO. "This achievement celebrates their dedication to student achievement and their focus on empowering students with the knowledge and skills necessary for success in school and a wide range of post-secondary opportunities.”

On Monday, March 17, both Brummitt and Jackson Elementary received a heart safe school designation from Project ADAM. Chesterton High School, Liberty and Westchester Intermediate/Middle School campuses received their designation earlier this school year. 

Project ADAM (Automated Defibrillators in Adam’s Memory) is a nationally recognized program dedicated to preventing sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in schools.  Named in honor of Adam Lemel, a high school student who tragically lost his life to SCA, the initiative focuses on raising awareness, training staff, and providing schools with necessary tools to respond effectively to cardiac emergencies.  

CHS Nurse Brittany Smith coordinated the program at Brummitt and Jackson Elementary. The initiative was supported by the school district to be implemented throughout all Duneland schools in the next two years. Smith stated, “Implementing this initiative throughout the district promotes cardiac awareness and provides a strategic plan in the event of a cardiac emergency for Duneland’s staff, students, and community.” Nurse Smith reported, “We are currently ahead of schedule with our initiative and will have all of the district certified as heart safe schools, placing the district one full year ahead of the initial projected timeline.” Liberty, Bailly and Yost Elementary Schools are scheduled to conduct their heart safe school designation drills on May 5. 

New directional signs have been placed at both elementary campuses to guide visitors and staff to AED locations. Teams have been trained in cardiac awareness and staff will have ongoing education regarding sudden cardiac arrest. 

Common Sense, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids and families thrive in a world of media and technology, has recognized Jackson Elementary as a Common Sense School and its school media specialist, Linda Eleftheri, as a Common Sense Educator.

Jackson Elementary has demonstrated its commitment to taking a whole-community approach to preparing its students to think critically and use technology responsibly to learn, create, and participate while preparing them for the perils that exist in the online realm, such as plagiarism, loss of privacy, and cyberbullying. With the right support, kids can take ownership of their digital lives, engage with real issues, and change their communities for the better. The recognition acknowledges our school's commitment to creating a culture of digital citizenship. 

"We applaud the faculty and staff of Jackson Elementary for embracing digital citizenship as an important part of their students' education," said Merve Lapus, vice president of education outreach and national partnerships at Common Sense Education. Jackson Elementary deserves high praise for giving its students the foundational skills they need to compete and succeed in the 21st-century workplace and participate ethically in society at large." 

Jackson Elementary has been using Common Sense Education's innovative and research-based digital citizenship resources, which were created in collaboration with researchers from Project Zero, led by Howard Gardner at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and are grounded in the real issues students and teachers face. The resources teach students, educators, and parents tangible skills related to internet safety, protecting online reputations and personal privacy, media balance, managing online relationships, and media literacy. The free K–12 curriculum is used in classrooms across all 50 states, in more than 80,000 schools by more than 1,00,000 educators.

"We're honored to be recognized as a Common Sense School," said Sam Marshall, Jackson Elementary principal. "By preparing our students to use technology safely and responsibly, we are providing them an opportunity to build lifelong habits to help them succeed in a tech-driven world."