CHICAGO – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) is congratulating Phillips Academy for being awarded a grant to support hands-on, interdisciplinary STEM-based curriculum that prepares students for life beyond the classroom.

“Phillips Academy could not be more deserving of this award,” Hunter said. “I am so proud of all the students and faculty who have worked hard during the pandemic, and I am excited for the opportunities this grant will provide.”

Thanks to the grant, Phillips Academy High School, which falls in the 3^rd District, will be able to offer a new Project Lead The Way Engineering Program. The program will help students build knowledge and skills in engineering while helping them develop essential skills such as problem solving and critical thinking.

The opportunity is made possible through a partnership between Ardagh Group, a global supplier of infinitely recyclable metal and glass consumer packaging, and PLTW, a nonprofit organization that offers transformative classroom and learning experiences for PreK-12 students.

Paul Coulson, chairman and CEO of Ardagh Group, expects to invest $50 million over ten years to support education in our U.S. communities. With this initiative, this is Ardagh’s first partnership with PLTW and will make an initial investment of $12 million in this multi-year, impactful program.

PLTW provides PreK-12 schools, teachers, and students with hands-on interdisciplinary STEM-based curriculum that uniquely prepares students for life beyond the classroom through pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science. More than 15,000 programs in more 12,200 schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia offer PLTW programs. For more information about PLTW, visit pltw.org.  

“With this grant, Phillips students will be able to better plan for a successful future,” Hunter said. “The possibilities for success are endless when you give young people the proper resources to excel.”