<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3INRVW_1H4C9RRT00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3INRVW_1H4C9RRT00" width="1763" height="1175" ><figcaption>Photo by Alexandra Retter From left, Winona Senior High School senior David Yearous, WSHS CTE Teacher Jerry Benedict, and Riverway freshman Oliver Kirchoff test out Winona Area Public Schools’ new CNC machine.</figcaption></figure>After raising $326,000 last school year to expand career and technical education (CTE) programs, Winona Area Public Schools (WAPS) staff put this funding toward new CNC machines, a 3D printer, and electronics training kits this semester. Looking ahead, staff would like to use the funding on new robotics equipment. Overall, staff want to purchase equipment that’s similar to what students would see in the work world so they can explore career paths in a hands-on way while still in high school. The WAPS Foundation raised the funds through its Forging a Future Initiative. CTE Teacher Jerry Benedict said that this school year, the district purchased a large CNC machine, a smaller, portable CNC machine, and small lathe for $88,000. Staff plan to start a class next semester for students to learn how to make metal pens, trees, and parts such as air pistons, he said, adding that his ultimate goal is for students to make parts for local industries. He also wants to take the portable CNC machine to middle school CTE classes and elementary school STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) events to introduce students to technical equipment. “… I feel this is what industry is using. This is what they’re supporting. And this is what our future is,” he said. He added, “Winona, we’re a huge manufacturing [hub] … [Manufacturers] need people, and this is where, if you give [students] a little bit of knowledge and then build their resumes, I think they could go into a good career after high school.” Winona Senior High School senior David Yearous appreciated having an opportunity to start exploring how to use the CNC machines. “… It’s really interesting to see the human interface of how you interact with the digital and physical controls for it,” he said.&nbsp;Staff also bought several DC and AC electronics training kits with Forging a Future funding for $46,000, Benedict said. Students this semester are learning how DC electricity works and how to properly test whether electronic equipment is working, he said, and next semester, they will learn similar information about AC electricity. After this instruction, they would be able to ultimately pursue careers in fields such as aerospace engineering, defense systems, and mechatronics, he said. “This is industry equipment to train industry workers, and we’re actually bringing that to the high school,” he said. For Yearous, who’s taking Benedict’s electronics class and is part of the school’s robotics team, it’s been nice to learn how electricity works overall, to complement the specific robotics engineering he does. “It’s really nice to learn the very basics of electronics,” he said. Additionally, staff purchased a new 3D printer for $5,000 with Forging a Future funding, Benedict explained. Students learn how to use software similar to what manufacturers utilize to create blueprints for parts they then print, he said. They’ve created LEGOS-like items. In the future, Benedict would like to put the Forging a Future funding toward robotics, such as a robotic arm, so students can learn how to run robots that manufacturers use. “We are grateful for the community partnerships and generosity that continue to make investments like this possible and allow us to grow our Career &amp; Technical Education programming. This has been, and will continue to be, a priority for Winona Area Public Schools,” Superintendent Brad Berzinski said. WAPS Foundation Executive Director Jenny Baertsch said on a similar note, “The recent purchase of the CNC machine is a great example of how Forging a Futurefunds are already helping to strengthen Industrial Technology programming at WAPS. While students are being trained and prepared for their next steps after high school, the District's focus on Career and Technical Education is also strengthening our local workforce.”Beyond the new equipment students are using, they are crafting projects for a student-run store to help bring in donations to support the school’s CTE programs, Benedict said, including WSHS-themed decorative boxes lit with LED lights. He plans for students to keep working on such projects to apply the skills they’re learning in class and give back to the CTE programs, as the high cost of materials such as metals makes it expensive to run CTE courses, he said. </div></body>

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After raising $326,000 last school year to expand career and technical education (CTE) programs, Winona Area Public Schools (WAPS) staff put this funding toward new CNC machines, a 3D printer, and electronics training kits this semester. Looking ahead, staff would like to use the funding on new robotics equipment. Overall, staff want to purchase equipment that’s similar to what students would see in the work world so they can explore career paths in a hands-on way while still in high school.

WAPS uses tech ed funding on new equipment

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After raising $326,000 last school year to expand career and technical education (CTE) programs, Winona Area Public Schools (WAPS) staff put this funding t

WAPS uses tech ed funding on new equipment

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