Shakopee Junior High School Named “Model School”

is celebrating a recent award that comes with national honors. Project Lead the Way, a national curriculum that focuses on science, technology, engineering and math, named the school a “Model School.”  This recognition comes with high honor; just 16 schools out of 4,200 that use this program in the United States were selected for this prestigious title.

“I was blown away – this is like getting the Heisman trophy,” Shakopee's Project Lead the Way Master Teacher said. “I think this says a lot about our commitment to challenge students to excel.”

This curriculum encourages creativity through a series of classes including robotics, principles of engineering, flight and space, and green architecture.  Students use the latest computer software to design solutions to problems, tackle complicated math and science formulas and even trouble shoot when necessary.

While the award is a reflection of the school’s program, both students and Project Lead the Way administers say it’s an achievement that couldn’t have been done without the hard work and dedication of Hendrickson.

"Mr. Hendrickson gives a strong first impression and I was hooked the first day of class,” ninth grader Jennifer Kim said. "The challenges are amazing. Project Lead The Way pushed me to limits that I never thought I could go to."

Hendrickson has also made an impression on the Project Lead the Way directors.

“T.J. Hendrickson knows the power of marketing a successful program to the students, parents, school administration, and the business partnership members,” said Jim Mecklenburg, PLTW program director at the Minnesota Center for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence. “T.J. is willing to go the extra mile and makes himself available to the students during the school day and beyond.”

When asked about his efforts in the class, Hendrickson gives all the credit to his students.

“I have been doing this for more than 20 years and I honestly still love getting up in the moring and coming to work, and it’s all because I work with some great students,” he said. “My students are proof that young people want to be challenged, they want to learn and I am more than happy to help them along the way.”

Shakopee Junior High was a runner-up for this award for the last two years, but Hendrickson says winning this year will only challenge him to create better lesson plans for next year.