Construction Careers and Education Expo

Last week, several students attended the Construction Careers and Education Expo, presented by the Central Iowa Apprenticeship Coordinating Committee. The two-day event was held in Des Moines at the Iron Workers Training Center and was designed to be an exposure opportunity for high school students interested in the construction industry. Unlike other career fairs with booths and pamphlets, this expo had hands-on equipment that students could operate from a variety of different trades. Students tested their skills on an excavator by picking up propped up tennis balls and even jack hammered solid rock. One of the more impressive exhibitions was a virtual reality auto painting training station. The participants got immediate feedback on how well they covered the simulated car as a way to gauge their skill level and interest in a career.

The four staff members responsible for getting students to participate in the expo were Education Liaison Aric Rush, Testing Coordinator Don Teague, who works with Hi-SET students, Vocations Director Ken Hageman, and Treatment Operations Coordinator Joel Porter, who also runs the World to Work extracurricular activity. The three of them identified students who would benefit the most from this exposure. Typical high school students are not fully aware of what they want to do when they enter the workforce, which makes this type of exposure to the construction industry beneficial. It can help inspire them to enter this field, or at the very least provide an appreciation for the demands that construction careers require.

Knights on the Move // Video

Knights on the Move (KOTM) is Woodward Academy's student employed moving company. The company was started in 2007 with the idea behind it being that it would be a great job opportunity for our students and a great way for them to acquire employable skills. Since then, it has blossomed into a formidable moving company in central Iowa.

With the fiscal year ending in June, numbers are in about KOTM and they are pretty impressive. Last year, they had a total of 115 moves, logged over 1,200 student hours with $8,000 in student wages. Check out the video after the break that shows some WA students working for KOTM in a recent commercial move in Des Moines, IA.

Woodworking Project -- Entertainment Center

Last September, we did a post about the new woodworking extracurricular at WA. The post outlined the goals of the group that included students receiving hands-on experience working with table saws, miter saws, drills and routers along with a variety of other power tools. You can read that post by clicking here. The extracurricular has taken off since that time and they are currently in the process of renovating their workspace. The projects that they have completed have been impressive. They include book shelves, adirondack chairs, and most recently an entertainment center for one of the dorms (pictured). We'll have more on the woodworking extracurricular and their projects in the future.

Woodworking Extracurricular

After school extracurricular activities have started again this fall with a new set of interest oriented classes.  Running in nine week segments, the topics of the extracurriculars rotate based on which staff members are organizing them.  In the past, journalism, drama club, and sports such as volleyball have been offered, among many others.  One of the more ambitious and compelling groups this time around is woodworking.  Organized by Group Leader Don Teague, this extracurricular is providing hands on experience building a variety of projects.  He has also envisioned this nine week period as the first of four with the projects becoming more complicated moving forward.  Read more after the break.  

Welding Course Update

In May, we reported on a welding vocational class that WA students started taking at the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC).  You can read that blog post by clicking here.  To recap, the 4 week course taught the basics of welding and served as an introduction into the field.  More students are currently enrolled in the course and are receiving hands-on experience as indicated by the image.  Students are hand chosen for the class based on interest and transitional needs.

A Firetruck Exhibit

In a way to expose students to new vocational job opportunities, WA staff member and local fire fighter volunteer Ben Kautza helped set up a fire truck exhibit this past Wednesday.  The purpose was to help educate students about a career in fire fighting.  Two small trucks were brought on campus and the different functions of each truck were explained.

Students were exposed to information on how to pursue a career in the field and some fire fighting techniques.  These smaller trucks are very common in the southern states and are often used in fighting smaller prairie fires.  In fact, the green truck spends 9 months of the year in Texas.  With the dry weather across the U.S. this year, fire fighting has become increasingly important and is a job always in need.

Students Welding

This past weekend, three students started a 30 hour welding course offered by the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC).  As an introductory course, students are learning the basics of welding, including how to handle and operate equipment properly.  Over the next three weeks, students will go hands-on with safety equipment and begin welding.  It is Woodward Academy's first attempt at the course, and we hope to utilize DMACC's facilities and resources more in the future.  More will be reported on this in the next edition of the Knightly Knews that will be published in June.

Meet the Mowing Crew: A Vocational Update

With the spring season fully upon us, that means lawn care... and Woodward Academy has a lot of campus to keep up and keep looking nice.  For the last couple years, WA students have had the opportunity to work on the mowing crew and are responsible for the mowing and landscape maintenance of the surrounding WA campus.  Currently, the students working on the crew are high school or GED graduates, with more job opportunities opening up this summer for those still in high school.

Read more after the jump.