Press Releases

ACES at Chase Earns National Recognition for STEM Excellence

May 23rd, 2025

ACES at Chase Receives National Recognition from Project Lead the Way for Commitment to Student Achievement

(Waterbury, CT – May 23, 2025) Area Cooperative Education Services (ACES) is pleased to announce ACES at Chase, a public STEAM Magnet School, serving grades 6-10, announced that it has been recognized as a 2024-25 Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Distinguished School. This honor is given to a select number of middle schools across the U.S. for providing broad access to transformative learning experiences for students through PLTW Gateway, a grade 6-8 STEM curriculum. ACES at Chase has received this honor for seven years and is the only Connecticut middle school who has consistently earned this distinction. PLTW is a national nonprofit organization that creates transformative learning experiences and empowers students to develop in-demand knowledge and skills for future careers. 

Principal, Dr. Frank LaBanca said, “Our PLTW Engineering courses give all students at Chase the opportunity to solve authentic innovative problems.  This hands-on approach to learning is a hallmark of the Chase experience”

The PLTW Distinguished School recognition honors schools committed to increasing student access, engagement, and achievement in their PLTW programs. To be eligible for the designation, ACES at Chase had to meet a variety of criteria such as the percentage of students participating in PLTW, the percentage of students who participate in more than one PLTW unit, the number of PLTW units offered, and efforts to ensure access to PLTW courses. In addition to the PLTW courses offered to students in grades 6-8, ACES at Chase offers PLTW Engineering courses to its students in grades 9 and 10.

Research shows that the middle grades play a pivotal role in influencing high school, college, and career success. During this transitional time, it’s crucial to provide students with access to relevant, engaging, and real-world learning experiences that expose the range of career paths and possibilities available to them. Whether designing an automated robotics system or exploring aerospace by creating designs and prototypes, PLTW Gateway students engage in critical and creative thinking, build teamwork skills, and develop confidence in STEM subjects.

“We are proud to honor ACES at Chase for their commitment to providing students with exceptional educational experiences through PLTW programs,” said Dr. David Dimmett, PLTW President and CEO. "This achievement celebrates their dedication to student achievement and their focus on empowering students with the knowledge and skills necessary for success in school and a wide range of post-secondary opportunities.”

ACES at Chase is a Nationally Recognized Public STEAM Magnet School on a Private School Campus serving students from throughout Connecticut in Grades 6-10 in 2025.  Continued high school expansion annually until 12th grade. The school’s mission is to prepare students for success through innovative Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM). Our vision is to empower students to engineer, write, grow and change their futures.

For more information on ACES at Chase PLTW Gateway program, as well as course offers for grades 6-10, contact Dr. LaBanca at 203-639-8403.

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About ACES:

Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) is the regional educational service center for New Haven and parts of Middlesex Counties. Established in 1969, ACES strives each day to fulfill its vision of creating an equitable and socially just world, one life at a time. ACES serves its members districts and others through an ever-growing array of programs, services, and schools that meet the needs of a changing educational landscape. As a school district, ACES operates three magnet and seven special education schools, and five alternative education programs. ACES services range from transportation, professional development, school improvement services, technology, translation, international, security, and occupational and physical therapy. ACES operates the Open and Magnet School Parent Choice programs for New Haven County. Its programs include a federally funded Early Head Start Program and ACES ACCESS, a vocational and life skills program for developmentally and physically disabled adults ages 23 and older. For more information, go to www.aces.org.

About PLTW:
For nearly 30 years, Project Lead The Way (PLTW) has prepared PreK–12 students for careers, college, and life by equipping them with the STEM knowledge, credential preparation, transferable skills, and confidence to succeed. Our hands-on, real-world learning, deep industry partnerships and clear, scaffolded curriculum guide students from early career curiosity to postsecondary readiness. With strong professional development taught by a national network of more than 116,000 trained teachers in 12,200+ schools across all 50 states, PLTW enables schools to design scalable, future-focused programs that inspire students, empower educators, and connect learning to life after graduation. Visit pltw.org to learn more.