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Students show off industrial-technology projects as board hears program presentation
Summary
Forest Lake Public School District industrial-technology teachers and students presented projects including a marble-maze capstone, carpentry cabins, saunas and welding pieces; teachers described course progression, safety caps and industry partnerships, and board members asked for participation and outcome data.
The Forest Lake Public School District board heard a showcase of industrial-technology courses on June 25 that highlighted hands-on student work across engineering, carpentry, electronics and welding.
Principal Caldwell and instructors walked the board through program progression from 9th-grade engineering and an intro-to-CAD sequence to higher-level Engineering 1 and 2 courses that include SolidWorks, laser engraving and a capstone marble-maze project. "They went from 3D design on SolidWorksto 2D laser engraving and back to 3D assembly," an engineering instructor explained, detailing the class requirement that student projects change direction five times and include elevation changes.
Carpentry instructor Joe Letko described studentsuse of Gantt charts for planning and larger group projects including deer blinds, ice houses and auctions of student-built items. "At the completion of the model cabin, some students 3D print components," Letko said, noting the practical project-and-planning experience students receive.
Welding instructor Mitch Mitchell described student projects ranging from smoker boxes to bell hammers and a new bird-feeder project, and said welding sections were capped at 25 per section for safety reasons. "We like to cap the class at 25 each section just because of safety measures," Mitchell said. He added that welding helps students see how math and measurement apply in real projects.
Board members asked about equipment and capacity: members heard there are 12 3D printers in the engineering classroom and additional machines in other rooms, a plasma table was obtained via a 2018 grant from a manufacturer in Scandinavia, and the Polaris Foundation recently donated a CNC mill. Several board members requested data on how many students who start in pathway classes go on to college or career certificates; Principal Caldwell agreed to provide those tracking numbers to the board.
The presentation emphasized the districts career-pathways approach and community partnerships that help students build job-ready skills.
