Wheaton Educator Wins National Project Lead the Way Honor
Jeannette Cruz, who leads the Bioscience Academy at Wheaton High School, has been named the 2025-2026 Robert and Patricia Kern Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Teacher of the Year. It is the highest teaching honor given to a PLTW teacher who demonstrates a strong record of delivering an inspiring and empowering student experience, developing students’ technical and transferable skills while expanding access to PLTW programs. Cruz was chosen from nominations across the country.
PLTW is a nationwide non-profit organization that prepares students for careers, college and lifelong success through hands-on, project-based learning connected to career and technical education.
Now in her 14th year teaching PLTW at Wheaton, Cruz teaches Principles of Biomedical Science to ninth graders.
“It's an honor to be recognized and I am deeply grateful to receive this award,” Cruz said. “We, as a community of Wheaton High PLTW teachers, work hard every day to bring unique classroom experiences to our academy students.”
About 20 percent of Wheaton’s student body is enrolled in PLTW biomedical classes.
Cruz is described as the cornerstone of the program. “She inspires students to think critically, collaborate and stay engaged in learning every day,” said Lisa Gerhardt, academies and application coordinator at Wheaton. “Her students describe her teaching style as “relaxed yet firm,” blending warmth with high expectations. She brings lessons to life through real-world applications — whether analyzing a mock crime scene, exploring how people with diabetes manage their condition or using her own EKG results as a teaching tool.”
Cruz, who grew up in a low-income area of Miami, Fla., where access to science opportunities was limited, says she is a strong proponent of a student-centered approach to teaching where she guides students through their learning. She says she is inspired to lead students “toward meaningful experiences, internships and opportunities both in and out of the lab.”
She enriches the student experience with meaningful STEM opportunities, such as field trips to pharmaceutical companies, hands-on lab experiences at the National Institutes of Health and the University of Maryland, and more than 24 Lunch and Learn sessions featuring STEM professionals and Wheaton PLTW alumni. She helps students secure internships by helping them with personal statements and resumes. She also fosters a culture of leadership and service, mentoring students in public speaking and presentation skills.
“Ms. Cruz builds confidence and leadership in her students,” said Pamela Krawczel, principal at Wheaton. “Her biomedical team is always the biggest — and loudest — group of volunteers at outreach events, eager to share their experiences and represent Wheaton with pride.”
In addition, Cruz is the Biomedical Academy Leader, overseeing more than 300 students and mentoring new PLTW teachers. She manages essential program logistics for 24 PLTW classes and coordinates outreach events and the senior pathway completer ceremony.
For the past eight summers, she has also served as a Master Teacher, training teacher participants across the country in Principles of Biomedical Science.
“I strive to promote all the resources that this curriculum offers and to share best practices that I've acquired over the years,” Cruz said.
