Non-traditional teacher instructs atypical class
By Lisa Fischer
GREELEY -- Andrea Wolf’s engaging classroom environment is brought to Central
Valley High School (CVHS) because of a generous school board and a cutting edge nonprofit
organization known as Project Lead The Way (PLTW).
Wolf, 7-12th grade CVHS Science instructor, is busier than
ever teaching her first PLTW class Principles of Biomedical Science
(PBS), a Health Science Class, along with her regular course load.
The class, like Wolf, empowers students to develop and apply in
demand, transportable skills by exploring real world challenges. It
was provided to CVHS after she noted the success another teacher
Scott Wood had with his PLTW Engineering class. Wolf informed
the school board of her interest and before she knew it the funds for
her training in Wisconsin and for her to shadow Denise McNeel an
instructor with experience teaching PLTW BioMedical Courses at
Grand Island Northwest Public Schools were available.
“I went and shadowed her for a day,” she added. “I sat in at her classroom and loved it.”
She recalled that this class is hands-on and reading about it would not have done it the
same amount of justice as watching McNeel did. McNeel has been teaching Project Lead The
Way classes since 2009. She said the curriculum is like no other and praises PLTW for exposing
students to a variety of data collection software and giving them the ability to analyze what that
data means.
“The students are exposed to many things now that they wouldn't be in many other
programs. They are learning to be critical thinkers and problem solvers,” McNeel noted. “ It is
an amazing curriculum and teaches many skills the students will be using throughout their life.”
She also said opening her classroom to teachers wanting to learn more about PLTW is a
common occurrence.
“It is one thing to hear about it, but totally different to see it in action,” McNeel said.
The Principles of Biomedical Science, Project Lead The Way class provides a pathway
for students to learn technical skills, solve problems, think critically and creatively, while
communicating and collaborating. Since the 10 days of training Wolf completed occurred after
Central Valley’s class schedules were already set, she and her two students CVHS Seniors
Shelby Behnk and Eric Bredthauer meet Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during 3rd period
from 9:46 a.m. to 10:47 a.m.
“I actually don’t see students 100 percent of the time,” she noted. “We’re looking at a 60
percent time frame to get the curriculum completed in.”
Since this is the first year the class was offered at CVHS Wolf said the class was only
offered to high school Seniors. Students began the class after being introduced to Anna Garcia, a
38-year-old woman found dead in her apartment. For the first 30 minutes of class students made
initial observations of Garcia’s apartment/crime scene (located inside Wolf’s classroom) while
Garcia (played by Central Valley Public School Counselor Amanda Shoemaker) laid motionless
on the floor.
“Each day we’re in class students run through and write their own experiment
procedure,” Wolf said. “We’re going to spend the entire year working through the scene.”
For the next two weeks a stuffed dummy was used as Garcia’s body to provide students
with the opportunity to process the crime scene. Students spend the entire year working through
the victim’s medical history and put together autopsy reports. Wolf noted that while students
investigate the scene they are exposed to the different things Garcia has had to endure throughout
her life.
“This class allows students to think outside the box,” Wolf replied.
Students have also and will be introduced to simulations involving body systems,
biology, diseases and mutations. The hands on applications students complete in class are similar
to the tests biomedical specialists also complete. She said students have already tested gels and
powders in order to narrow down what could have caused Garcia’s untimely death.
“I’m interested in figuring out the unknown,” Behnk said. “The more I’ve learned the
more I want to know about what happened to Anna Garcia.”
Wolf said Behnk’s reaction to the class is a pretty familiar one which is why she stays in
contact with other teachers who completed the 80-hours of training, from Aug. 6-19, at
Milwaukee School of Engineering. She stays in contact with the 19 other teachers who attended
the training and on top of classroom assignments in order to ensure her students are getting their
class needs met.
“I have never tried teaching anything like this before,” Wolf said. “Grand Island is the
only school nearby that I know of offering PLTW courses.”
Teaching an unfamiliar class is familiar to Wolf who is in her 13th year instructing
Greeley County students. After graduating from Elba Public Schools in 1997, Wolf headed to the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Natural Resources
in 2001. After graduating she started working for the University of Kansas where she studied
lions at the Kansas City Zoo for two years before she decided to head back to Nebraska in 2004.
That same year, she found part time employment at North Loup-Scotia (NLS) High
School working in Special Education and year-by-year teaching more and more science classes.
She also began instructing those classes after enrolling at the University of Nebraska at Kearney
(UNK). Enrolling at UNK enabled her to attain her teaching certificate while working for NLS, 3
years after she began.
During more than a decade’s worth of hands on experience, Wolf has acquired a plethora
of knowledge and credentials that enable her to give her students in 7th grade: Life Science, 8th
grade: Earth Science B, Freshman: Physical Science B, Sophomore: Biology B, Juniors:
Chemistry B, Senior: Anatomy and Physiology and Principles of Biomedical Science classes the
best possible outcome.
She said, depending how Nebraska’s state Science standards change, the school is
looking into offering classes like Launch for K-5th grade students and Gateway for 6th-8th
graders. The classes provide PLTW fundamentals in computer science, engineering and
biomedical science.
“Hopefully introducing classes like these early on will give them the opportunity to say ‘I
really want to try this,” Wolf said. “Kids in Nebraska are beginning to be able to pick the tract
they want to head down.”
Those interested in learning more about Project Lead The Way or to learn more about the
class Wolf is currently instructing are encouraged to stop by her classroom and or visit
www.pltw.org.
“Without the school board allowing me the opportunity to leave the classroom, train and
to shadow another teacher who is already doing this class...without their generosity I would not
be able to provide this class to our students,” Wolf noted. “I welcome anyone interested in
learning more about it to stop by anytime.”
McNeel noted how, given an enthusiastic instructor, PLTW classes can do amazing
things for students.
“Andrea has the passion and the desire,” McNeel noted. “I would love to come and see
what/how she's doing. Fabulous, I am sure!!”