Community Education Summer Camps and Activities Pages 10-13
Oak Grove and St. Francis 2017 Drinking Water Reports Page 23-26
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SUNDAY, MAY 13
WWW.THE-COURIER.ORG | NEWS@ISD15.ORG
MAY 2018 | VOLUME 25, ISSUE 9
The Courier
A Tribute to Our Military
St. Francis Area Schools Communications Department St. Francis, Minnesota Serving the communities of Andover, Athens Township, Bethel, East Bethel, Linwood Township, Nowthen, Oak Grove, St. Francis and Stanford Township
Workforce development: real projects, real customers as students run Saints Manufacturing business MELISSA DEBILZAN
MINNESOTA PRECISION MANUFACTURING JOURNAL
Shortly after the class bell rings, 17-year-old Steven Vanheel grabs his welding helmet and gloves and places a large metal pyramid on an empty workbench. A senior at St. Francis High School (SFHS), he’s eager to gain as much experience as possible before graduating. Gripping the TIG torch, he guides the arc across open joints, careful to keep the angle of his torch in check. A few minutes later, he inspects his work: a hopper for a fire pit—one of several products machined and fabricated through the class’ student-run business, Saints Manufacturing. At a time when many schools are cutting back or closing their industrial technology programs, St. Francis High School is overhauling its curriculum, investing in new equipment and creating a self-sustaining business model with support from several Minnesota manufacturers. The
goal of Saints Manufacturing is to go beyond teaching machining, welding and fabrication. “Our focus is on employability,” said Erik Trost, SFHS Technical Education teacher. “In addition to learning how to make a part, students are learning what it takes to design, market and sell a part or product for profit. I try to stay as hands-off as possible, so they can work as a team to brainstorm and solve problems.” In the beginning of the year, for example, students used an entire sheet of metal to cut just one panel for the fire pit hopper. When they realized how much time and materials were being wasted, they created a CAD program to cut six panels out of a single sheet. So far, students have sold about 20 fire pits at around $200 each. They’ve even customized some with company logos or family names machined out of the metal. Soon students will do a cost analysis by weighing the
time and materials necessary to complete each job. They’re hoping to increase profit margins. Not everyone in class is working on fire pits. At the other end of the shop, senior James Ptacek fills an order from a local company for dozens of 20-inch concrete form spreaders to be sold at $3.50 each. The CAD program he developed will produce 44 spreaders out of a single sheet of metal. Next, he will try cutting two sheets at a time. Meanwhile, Connor Rekdahl, a junior, is busy making parts for a snowmobile hitch at the request of a community member. “I want to go into metal fabrication some day and chose this class to get real-world experience,” he said. “This program is nothing short of an actual business, just on a smaller scale, so hopefully once I get into the industry, I’ll be a few steps ahead.” Senior Colton Zetterval agrees. “You can make up equations all day, but there’s only so much you can do
Zach Gust, St. Francis High School student, carves out a design with a plasma cutter. Students in Saints Manufacturing get hands-on, real-world experiences. PHOTO BY KATRINNA DODGE
to apply them,” he said. “I took this class because I like metalworking and want to go to college for either mechanical engineering or product design.” Generating a good return St. Francis Area Schools launched Saints Manufacturing at the beginning of the 2017-18 school year. It’s modeled after a similar high school program in Wisconsin called Cardinal Manufacturing that generates tens of thousands of dollars in revenue each year—money that goes back to the high school program as well as the students in the form of profit sharing. “Eventually, we hope to get to the point where every student gets a paycheck,” Trost said, noting that students’ pay could be docked for tardiness, safety violations or poor behavior. He also expects the program to become self-sufficient over the next few years and cover most of its overhead and costs. Currently, there are 13 students participating in Saints Manufacturing, which is a year-long elective. Over the next few years, Trost hopes to grow that number to at least 25 students and expand various departments in the shop such as welding, machining, fabrication, CAD design, marketing and management. “The neat thing is that students are learning about the manufacturing process from start to finish,” Trost said. “They’re held accountable for everything from quoting to delivery. This is where real learning takes place.” Trost’s father, Jon Trost, a retired technical education teacher and two-star general, floats around the school shop on most days, volunteering his time to help students. He believes Saints Manufacturing has the potential to help build the labor force, especially if
replicated in other areas of the state. “We just can’t focus on funding programs at technical colleges,” Jon Trost said. “In order to raise interest in manufacturing careers and higher education, we have to dangle a carrot in front of high school students.” Meeting industry needs The idea for Saints Manufacturing came from someone in the industry. Like many companies, MMD Medical based in Brooklyn Park is concerned about an aging workforce and widening skills gaps. When Vice President Darren Bjork heard about the success of Cardinal Manufacturing, he reached out to St. Francis High School and urged the staff to learn more about it. “I knew they had a strong technical education program with supportive administrators,” he said. “And I know we’re passionate about promoting manufacturing careers. So, we decided to explore the concept of a student-run business.” In early 2017, Bjork and others from the school drove to Wisconsin to see the program in action. By fall, Saints Manufacturing had been launched with widespread support from the community, the principal, the superintendent and school board. CONTINUED ON PAGE 29
Inside Schools in Action......................... 2 Community Education............... 9 Community & Business............ 18 Meetings, Events & Benefits..... 27 School Board Highlights.......... 28 Sports & Outdoors.................... 30 Life............................................... 32