Project Lead The Way (PLTW) teacher Brian Nikodym was recognized last week at the PLTW Summit in Kansas City. He was awarded Outstanding Gateway Teacher. Gateway is the middle school level of PLTW where he does most of his teaching; however, he teaches multiple high school level courses, including computer science and general engineering courses. 

Nikodym joined the Brentwood team seven years ago so that he could implement the PLTW program at a new school. For him, Brentwood seemed like a perfect opportunity to bring STEM learning to a school that was lacking a program: “The opportunity to start a brand new program here at Brentwood was pretty exciting.” Brentwood is one of the nearly 7,000 schools across the country that offer a PLTW program.

Nikodym stresses the importance of students having access to STEM programs, saying, “I think it’s key because not only are we doing STEM but it’s also teaching those soft skills that employers are looking for.” Nearly 2.4 million STEM jobs went unfilled in 2018, but programs such as PLTW are looking to change this by getting kids interested in everything from science to the arts early.

Besides classes, Nikodym sponsors multiple clubs, including robotics and green club for both the middle and high school. He also takes students on various field trips every year, including a recent trip to Rolla to expose middle school girls to the field of STEM. 

We want to give a huge congratulations to Mr. Nikodym for being recognized for his hard work and dedication to the students of Brentwood.