At the Whitehall-Coplay School Board meeting Oct. 8, Whitehall-Coplay Middle School Principal Glenn Noack introduced computer applications/business technology teacher Tony Pangaio and technical education/STEM teacher Sheldon Paremba, who discussed the WCMS I.D.E.A. Labs. Assistant Principal Angela Friebolin also collaborated on the development of this curriculum.

I.D.E.A. stands for Innovation, Design, Engineering and Activity.

“We wanted to get kids more job-like skills, the collaborations, the critical thinking, so we merged our two rooms, so to speak, and we got kids working together. We got them collaborating and using creativity and critical thinking skills, and we tried to get them more hands on,” Pangaio said.

Pangaio had his students participate in a Lego car challenge, where students worked together in groups to design a car to go the farthest down a ramp. This included making improvements, testing and retesting, eventually moving into motors and electricity.

These labs also introduce students to coding, programming and robotics.

In addition to traditional woodworking and tool skills, Paremba is teaching his students to use advanced machinery such as a CNC router and a Boss laser engraver.

Pangaio said some manufacturing companies are paying people to go to school due to a high demand for skilled workers.

The classes are popular with the students, and learning these skills is giving them a head start in a world where employers’ needs are quickly changing and technical abilities are highly valued.

Also at the meeting, Whitehall High School Student Council representative Nicholas Demjan discussed upcoming Homecoming, including the bonfire Oct. 11, presentation of the Homecoming court at the Oct. 12 football game and the Homecoming dance Oct. 13.

The board approved a field trip request for Edward Hong, WHS choir director, to travel to New York City Nov. 17 to participate in a Broadway trip.

Carolyn Radon, Student Council adviser at the high school, was granted permission to travel to Cedar Crest High School in Lebanon for a Student Council state conference Nov. 8-10.

The board approved the agreement between Whitehall-Coplay School District and Dr. Mary L. Sharp-Ross, NCSP, bilingual school psychologist, to provide bilingual psychoeducational services to the district at $125 per hour for the duration of the 2018-19 school year.

Contracts approved by the board included Professional Software for Nurses Inc. to provide SNAP Health Center software; David Blackmore and Associates’ proposal for a geotechnical exploration and report for the WHS addition; and Barry Isett and Associates Inc.’s proposal to conduct a partial topographic survey for the WHS renovation project.

The school board will hold committee meetings 4 p.m. Oct. 22 and Nov. 27. The next regular school board meeting will be 7 p.m. Nov. 12.