Lakeville North teacher Kevin Bass and students build a custom 'chopper' as a hands-on STEM project

Superintendent Michael Bauman used the March 18 school board meeting to highlight a Fox 9 television feature about a STEM manufacturing program at Lakeville North (with participation from Lakeville South students) led by teacher Kevin Bass.

Why it matters: The program has leveraged community donations and industry partnerships to expand hands-on manufacturing, welding and machining opportunities for students who may pursue careers in trades. Bass and staff described donated equipment ranging from CNC plasma tables to stone cutters and power-coating gear, which expanded the program beyond the roughly $8,000 consumable budget the district allocates per year for such classes.

Project details and partners: The students are building a custom motorcycle (often called a “chopper”) that will be auctioned at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Bass credited local manufacturers and parts suppliers — he named a local company, BTD, whose president helped secure a 4x8 CNC plasma table — and industry partner Dennis Kirk, which is providing parts and filming progress segments that will accompany the auction.

Voices from the meeting: Kevin Bass told the board he feels “honored” to teach a program that prepares students for skilled careers; a parent in the audience described how Bass’s program gave her son, who has autism, the opportunity to enroll in a welding program at Dakota County Technical College. “I feel blessed and honored to be able to help kids find their career path,” Bass said.

Ending: Superintendent Bauman encouraged the public to read more about the program on the district website and applauded student success in both athletics and academics in the district’s “good news” portion of the agenda.