Challenger Learning Center of Lucas County

Sponsored by Lucas County Educational Service Center and Sky Bank

Envision consoles instead of desks...computers instead of chalkboards...and multimedia databases instead of libraries. Textbooks have been replaced with task cards, instructions with procedures. Students become scientists and engineers. Their lessons become missions. Their classroom .... Challenger Learning Center of Lucas County!

Using space as a theme and the power of simulations as a teaching tool, Challenger Center programs create an exciting and cooperative learning environment that exposes students to the challenges and successes of teamwork, problem solving, communication, and decision-making. These positive learning experiences raise students' expectations of success, foster in them a long-term interest in math, science, and technology and motivate them to pursue careers in these fields.

Our mission is to create a scientifically literate student that can thrive in a world increasingly driven by information and technology. Our vision for the future is a global community where today's students command their own destinies by using higher-order thinking skills. The Challenger Center of Lucas County is located in the Shuer Center on Seaman Road in Oregon, Ohio.

Mission Scenarios

When students arrive at a Challenger Learning Center, the class is divided into two groups --half of the students are assigned to Mission Control while the others are transported to the Space Station. Each student is assigned a partner on one of eight teams: Medical, Life Support, Isolation, Remote, Probe, Navigation, Communications, and Data. At the mission's halfway point, the partners exchange places so every student experiences both learning environments.