INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Students at Indianapolis Public Schools heard the bell ring for the start of a new school year on Monday. The first day of school brings a new initiative that IPS leaders have dubbed Destination 2032.

Sixth through eighth graders at William Penn Middle School will be part of the first group of students in the new program.

The goal, according to IPS Superintendent Dr. Aleesia Johnson, is to have more of the district’s graduates “STEM-ready” by the year 2032.

Johnson says it means expanding opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math at its STEM-focused middle schools.

“All of our elementary school students now take computer science, and so this is the next step in that process,” Johnson said. “We know in Indiana, from an economic development and workforce standpoint, STEM-based jobs are certainly growing, and we want our students to be the most qualified and ready to take advantage of those opportunities .”

Destination 2032 will then expand to Arlington Middle School by 2027.

The program fits into a broader initiative, which started last year — IPS’ Rebuilding Stronger Plan. Johnson says the district is now settling into that initiative.

“It was really about what can we imagine that can be true for our students,” Johnson said. “We wanted to be sure that within our locus of control, the things that we can provide for our students, that we want to be sure they have a really rich experience that prepares them and sets them up for success after they cross that graduation stage and go on to live the life that they choose to live.”

The Rebuilding Stronger Plan restructured buildings and added more specialized schools for families, among other changes.

This year also marks the launch of a new bus tracking app called First View. IPS leaders say they hope can give parents more peace of mind in getting their child to school.

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