Valley School Upper School Technology Teacher Reneé Moore recently welcomed School Resource Officer Abby Gerlach of the Ligonier Valley Police Department into her classroom to introduce students to Project Lifesaver, a program that uses radio-frequency technology to help law enforcement locate individuals who may be at risk of wandering.

The lesson connected directly with Mrs. Moore's Invention Convention curriculum, where students explore how inventions and innovations are created in response to real needs.

But this lesson quickly moved beyond discussion.

Several students wore Project Lifesaver transmitters and found hiding places on the Valley School campus. Their classmates then worked with Officer Gerlach and the program's receiving equipment to locate them—watching and listening as the signal strengthened as they moved closer to their "missing" classmates.

Along the way, students learned not only how the technology works, but why it matters.

The experience also highlighted Valley School's partnership with the Ligonier Valley Police Department and the opportunities that having Officer Gerlach serve as our School Resource Officer brings to our students. Connecting classroom learning with the expertise of professionals in our community helps students see how the concepts they study can be applied to challenges beyond the classroom.