With Project Pride receiving positive reviews, the program may expand from Northampton Area Middle School to Northampton Area High School for the 2017-18 school year.

“Project Pride is transforming the learning experience. We believe from an education standpoint that this is the best thing to do for our students across the district,” said NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph Kovalchik.

The “Pride” in Project Pride stands for “PRoject-based, Inquiry-based, Digitally-Enriched” learning.

“The board is ready to go full-speed ahead,” said Northampton Area School District Board of Education President David Gogel following a Project Pride presentation at the Nov. 21 meeting.

NAHS must undergo improvements to its Internet capacity. A portion of the $5.1 million middle school project savings could pay for the upgrade at the high school. The cost estimate is $500,000.

A presentation on districtwide building improvements is expected from D’Huy Engineering, Inc., district consulting engineers, at an upcoming school board meeting.

Project Pride was expanded to grades 6, 7 and 8 at NAMS this fall for the 2016-17 school year.

“It’s all about learning, but it’s also about preparing the students for the world after graduation,” said Lydia Hanner, Northampton Area School District director of curriculum and instruction.

Hanner was one of several administrators, teachers and students who spoke at the Nov. 21 board of education meeting when a PowerPoint presentation was made about Project Pride, the One-to-One Technology Device program that has provided a Dell Chromebook 11 to each of 1,350 middle school students.

A spin-off benefit was noted by Kurt Paccio, NASD director of technology, who said, “There will be increasing (grades) 3, 4 and 5 availability at the elementary schools.”

Middle school students attending the Nov. 21 meeting sat next to school board members to demonstrate their use of the Chromebooks.

“It really enhances the learning,” said John Bendekovits, NASD districtwide technology lead teacher.

“All of the world languages teachers are using it,” said Patrice Turner, Northampton Area Middle School principal. “We have had to provide a lot of professional development.”

NASD began working toward Project Pride in 2007, nearly a decade ago. With the help of Pennsylvania’s Classrooms for the Future program and a Keystones to Opportunities grant, NASD has invested in training and equipment, including computers, document cameras, interactive projectors and video studios.

NASD classrooms employ what’s called “student-centered learning techniques,” including inquiry-based learning, authentic problem solving, real-world, meaningful work and blended learning (online and face-to-face learning).

Chromebooks were first deployed in a pilot program in some classrooms during the 2012-13 school year.

An Anytime, Anywhere Learning Initiative planning committee was organized in the 2014-15 school year.

A timeline of Project Pride and more information on the program is available at projectpride.nasdschools.org.