Penn Manor attended the Lancaster County STEM Alliance’s Excellence in Education Award Ceremony, hosted at Millersville University on Friday, November 7. High school science teacher, Josh Bressler, was nominated for the 2025 Excellence in Project-Based Learning Award.
The nomination recognizes teachers who design and implement high-quality project-based learning experiences that foster critical thinking, collaboration, and authentic problem-solving.
Bressler has two project-based classes at Penn Manor High School, Principles of Science and Applied Science. The classes dig into the physical concepts that make the projects work based on the specific unit. Based on the information learned, students are provided a hands-on way to collaborate with their classmates and build the projects.
Bressler’s Principles of Science class is a one marking period course that has four units. The units covered are motion and experiment design, forces, momentum, and exploration of the Law of Conservation of Energy and Mechanical Advantage.
During the motion and experiment design unit, students are asked to construct a slow-falling paper helicopter, based on kinematic variables and a scientific investigation.
Through the use of summation equations and forces, students investigate Buoyant Forces to determine how to design a boat. Depending on the time of year the course is offered, classes will either create miniature boats, or boats for the Cardboard Boat Regatta.
During the momentum unit, students participate in the Egg Drop project. Each student drops their constructed container that holds their egg and proceed to drop the eggs from increasingly higher position to see which project provided the most stability for the egg.
In the final unit, students explore the Law of Conservation of Energy and Mechanical Advantage by designing a mousetrap-powered car and seeing which car can travel the furthest.
The Applied Science course is co-taught with Penn Manor High School teacher, Mr. Hollinger. Students in this upperclassman course, revisit content and lessons taught in the Principles of Science class, but are provided limited supply lists or budgets increasing the difficulty on the projects.
In the first unit, students modify a Hot Wheels car so that car catches a falling marble. Students use kinematic equations to make an interception plan to catch the falling ball while moving down the track.
Students use insights from Bernoulli’s Law and Rotational Dynamics to design a disc golf disc using OnShape in unit five. The discs are printed on a 3D printer and tested outside on the practice football field for max flight distance and accuracy.
During the next unit, students investigate flights of half and full trajectory projectiles and learn how to predict their motion. They get a chance to construct a catapult out of limber and use the catapult to try and sharpshoot targets in a collision space to determine their catapult’s maximum range.
Throughout the electricity unit, student will learn and construct an electric generator by utilizing electromagnetic induction. Students will also attempt to build a water wheel, which is tested in a sink to see how many amps are produced.
With both courses being project-based, Bressler aims to keep students focused on how physics makes the projects work, and how to apply the concepts and information learned in the class to their advantage.
Josh Bressler was one of 14 educators from the IU13 school districts (K-12) nominated for the award.
Congratulations to all the STEM Alliance Excellence in Education nominees for your hard work.