In the five years Lazaro Lopez has been its principal, Wheeling High School has gone through tremendous transition.

It shares the same name, but its a completely different high school, Lopez said.

Over the past five years, Lopez and school officials have redesigned the Wheeling curriculum, providing a much more hands-on approach for a students future, and have made efforts to enhance the subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The school was even rededicated in 2010 as a comprehensive high school with a STEM focus.

When I became principal, one of the messages from the community is that Wheeling was one of the best kept secrets in the district, and I thought that was a shame. Theres no reason for it to be a secret, Lopez said, adding that, historically, Wheeling had possessed a strong math and technology element.

With all of the data showing the opportunities our school has faced before, it made sense to try to make that a focus and bring in resources and partnerships, Lopez said.

It was those resources that even helped WHS and the village of Wheeling nab a partnership with Intel and Hewlett-Packard, which will provide advanced computing learning opportunities for students in the technology program.

One of the biggest changes, Lopez said, is the push toward more original research. Before, students would be given a topic to research for a class project. Now, the student is asked what about the given topic they would like to know and are then tasked with finding that information.

So that no matter what class youre in, youre doing original research, Lopez said.

Changes, accolades

While students may not notice any drastic changes for the coming school year that starts this week, the high school has installed a new mock senior care facility across the hall from its mock medical care room. These rooms are available for students who fall into the health sciences program.

See the article here:
School’s Secret Out As New Facilities Raise Profile