Suncoast Polytech Earns Rare Honor

Suncoast Polytechnical High School is now a Project Lead The Way Biomedical Sciences Certified School — the first and only high school in the state of Florida to earn the certification, according to a school press release.

“We are excited to be part of this exciting program,” said SPHS Principal Jennifer Putnam. “We look forward to working with Project Lead The Way to continue to develop the opportunities this program offers to students.”

According to the release, Project Lead The Way offers a rigorous curriculum that allows students to apply what they are learning in math and science class to real-life biomedical science projects.

The program began in 1997 in 12 high schools in upstate New York as a program designed to address the shortage of engineering students at the college level and has grown to a network of nearly 4,000 middle and high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia, the release said. More than 350,000 students are expected to take a Project Lead the Way course during the coming school year, the release said

According to the release, Putnam and a team of teachers, staff, students and members of the community conducted a self-assessment of the school’s biomedical sciences program, culminating in a site visit by a national Project Lead the Way certification specialist. The certification team met with teachers, administration, counselors, students and community representatives and reviewed student work.

Gail Parsons, Southeast regional director for Project Lead the Way, said in the release, “The Suncoast Polytechnical High School biomedical program is one of the best I have seen in the United States. It reflects the staff’s dedication and planning, which will keep it on the cutting edge moving forward. The school has set the bar high for all the other Florida high school biomedical programs.”

Elaine Mestrezat, a current teacher at SPHS and registered nurse, has been selected to teach the classes in for the program. After being recommended as a “Master Teacher” for biomedical science, Mestrezat attended summer training with other national master teachers. This select group of educators monitors and suggests modifications to the biomedical curriculum and trains other teachers for the program.

“The program is a pleasure to teach,” said Meztrezat in the release. “Our students enjoy the hands-on projects and the exposure to real-world biomedical experiences and the chance to explore lots of topics and issues that are part of this dynamic career field. They walk into my room excited and anxious to know what they are going to learn each day.”