Schools

Duncan, Quinn Visit Wheeling High School

A new nanotechnology program, which is open to all District 214 students, is the first of its kind in a U.S. public high school.

A new District 214 technology lab has captured the attention of state and national leaders. 

Wheeling High School’s nanotechnology lab, which opened this year, is the first of its kind in a U.S. public high school. It was toured Thursday by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Rep. Brad Schneider (D-10th), who met with students and praised the program.

Intro to Nanotechnology students, including Wheeling senior Jeremy Schultz, explained some of the technology to the visitors, who were offered up-close looks the high-powered microscopes that let them view atoms.

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Through a microscope, Schultz said he can study the topography of an insect wing, which one might assume is flat. 

He’s among about 30 students who are enrolled in the first two Intro to Nanotechnology classes. Carol Bouvier, who teaches one of the classes, said it could be a springboard for students who are interested in working as micro technicians or in forensics labs.

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The nano lab is the latest component of Wheeling’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program, which the school applies to all disciplines.

“Regardless of what you’re going to do in life, you can’t avoid STEM,” said Lazaro Lopez, Wheeling’s former principal who now serves as District 214’s associate superintendent for teaching and learning. For instance, he said, technology plays a role in fields such as journalism.

“When I shake your hand at graduation, I want the world to be open to you,” Lopez said during a panel discussion with students, a teacher and Duncan.

The nanotechnology lab will benefit students across the district. While currently only Wheeling students are enrolled, the class is open to all District 214 students. Students from other high schools would have to travel to Wheeling for the class.

It will also be used for professional development within the district and across the region, Lopez said. 

“We want others to learn from what we’re doing here,” he said.

Wheeling High School Principal Angela Sisi said the school will explore partnerships with area businesses that might want to use the nano lab. For instance, partners could gain after-school access to the lab in exchange for offering internship opportunities to students, she said.

“You guys are absolutely at the cutting edge,” Duncan said. “For me, the question is how do we scale what works and how do we scale more quickly than we do?”

Wheeling’s nano lab was developed with grant funding from the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Wheeling is also a pilot school in the state’s Research and Development STEM Learning Exchange, a public-private collaboration formed as part of Illinois Pathways, a $10.3 million initiative launched last year and funded in part by the U.S. Department of Education’s Race to the Top initiative.


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