Brittany Henderson - Project Planning

Plano ISD Academy High School is a dynamic, project-based learning community that fosters a professional environment where creativity thrives and learners are empowered to innovate and adapt in a fast-changing world. With a strong focus on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM), learning at AHS is rooted in real-world experiences.

Collaboration is a cornerstone of the Academy experience—students work closely with peers, facilitators, and community partners both within and beyond the school. At AHS, teachers are known as facilitators, reflecting their role in guiding students through rich, hands-on learning experiences rather than relying solely on traditional instruction.

Since there’s no off-the-shelf curriculum that fits the Academy’s unique model, facilitators collaborate in teams to design integrated, cross-curricular projects aligned with state standards. All curriculum is developed in-house, ensuring it remains relevant, challenging, and grounded in real-world problem solving.

During Brittany's time at AHS she developed 4 projects in a team for 9th grade students. All projects were cross curricular and involved the courses of Physics, English I, World Geography, Algebra I, Art and Engineering.

For each project:

An overview was written
A pacing guide and curriculum map made
A guiding document for all teachers that contained objectives, standards, deliverables and deadlines.
Individual content guides as well as a cross curricular guide.

In addition to this she also helped other grade levels polish their projects and edited documents for consistency.

League of Our Own – In this interdisciplinary project, student teams explored the concept of culture and what unites people to form communities. They examined personal narratives, the idea of belonging, and how individual stories come together to shape collective identity.

The project culminated in a collaborative challenge: designing and building large-scale catapults to achieve a shared goal and developing a team identity. This hands-on experience served as a dynamic example of collective problem solving, blending physics, math, and engineering with insights from their geography and english courses.

Project Sustain -Students explored the steps necessary to live sustainably within a community. Working in teams, they were assigned real U.S. cities facing sustainability challenges. Drawing from research, community data, and their own insights, students developed thoughtful solutions and presented their proposals to professionals working in the sustainability field.

Focusing on practical, actionable steps communities can take to improve quality of life, students carefully considered each city's unique culture and character, striving to balance meaningful improvements with local identity and values. This project blended the science needed to solve these tough problems with the identities of these cities.

Expedition Explore - In this immersive project, students plan an educational journey to a world region, designing a travel experience that authentically highlights the area's history, culture, cuisine, and people. Through in-depth research and creative planning, teams curate meaningful itineraries, incorporating historical landmarks, cultural traditions, local foods, and community engagement. The final product is a detailed travel proposal presented to a panel as if pitching to a cultural tourism board or travel company.

Farm to Table - In this hands-on project, students take on the challenge of transforming a locally grown crop into a unique, market-ready food product. Working in teams, they research the crop’s properties, develop a recipe or food concept, and design branding and marketing strategies. The project culminates in a pitch to industry stakeholders, where students present their product, business plan, and packaging design, showcasing both creativity and entrepreneurial thinking.