Students across Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. are headed back to class today, the first day of the new, balanced school calendar.

While students everywhere will adjust to new classes, new teachers and new friends, none will have more new experiences than those at Clifty Creek Elementary School.

This year, Clifty Creek Elementary School has switched to a project-based learning curriculum — a technology-intensive teaching style that focuses on practical application of school subjects through group projects.

Other schools in the BCSC system are using the project-based learning system, including the Columbus Signature Academy magnet schools at Lincoln and Fodrea. But Clifty Creek is the first neighborhood school to try the program.

Over the summer break, the school added a new principal, 15 new teachers and $2 million in technology upgrades to make the transition. Where Clifty Creek students used to interact with technology about once a month, now they will be immersed in it, including:

n Busy Bees preschool: Each class gets five iPads.

n Kindergarten and first grade: Each class gets 15 iPads.

n Second through sixth grade: Each class gets eight iPads and 24 notebook computers.

n Building rewired to support wireless technology.

n Each classroom has a Smart Board and document camera.

n Digital signs installed in common areas.

n Microphones available for teachers to wear to project their voices.

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