AAPS’ Project Lead The Way and Career & Technical Education Expo: an amazing evening of innovation

AAPS hosts Expo at Skyline High School

Students from across Ann Arbor Public Schools gathered at Skyline High School Commons to showcase their work at the district’s Project Lead the Way (PLTW) and Career Technical Education (CTE) Expo. The event featured projects from students in grades Y5-12, highlighting achievements in STEAM education and career preparation programs.

About 400 visitors explored interactive demonstrations from PLTW courses in engineering, computer science, and biomedical fields. Young innovators eagerly explained their projects and research to attendees, offering hands-on experiences that illustrated core STEAM concepts.

“The AAPS PLTW and CTE Expo provided a fantastic opportunity to showcase the great learning and teaching occurring throughout our districts,” said Sarah Schemanske, PLTW lead teacher at Wines Elementary. “Walking through the Expo, it was clear that a lot of passion was radiating from the teachers.  Students beamed with pride as they presented their masterpieces and shared their learning experiences.”
She said the interactive displays, hands-on explorations, program, and robotics demos promoted engagement, excitement, and future possibilities for students and community members. 

“It was great to have over 400 audience members join us for the Expo.  We are already looking forward to our annual AAPS PLTW and CTE Expo next spring.”

The CTE programs displayed student work from multiple career pathways, giving the community insight into the practical skills students develop through these specialized programs.

District robotics teams drew crowds throughout the event, with team members demonstrating their machines’ capabilities. This included the team from Forsythe Middle School, which won the Rookie All Star Award at the Michigan State Championship and went on to win the World Rookie All Star award.

The Expo connected students across grade levels while showcasing the district’s commitment to providing diverse educational pathways that prepare students for both college and careers.