Tag Archives: Region 4

White House takes a look at Eleva-Strum’s student-run business

Stand Up for Public Ed,

WEAU.com: A local school is getting national attention as the White House takes a closer look at Eleva-Strum’s student-run manufacturing business.

This week, school leaders went to Washington DC to discuss its Cardinal Manufacturing model and how it can be used as an example for the nation.

On Tuesday, creator of the manufacturing model Craig Cegielski and principal Cory Kulig met with President Obama, Paul Ryan’s staff, and the manufacturing committee to discuss policies that would allow other schools to replicate the real life business model.

Cegielski, who is also a tech education teacher, said this model not only teaches technical skills, “but it teaches the soft skills the employability skills and self-funds itself so it’s the perfect situation.”

The business was started 9 years ago at Eleva-Strum; although Cegielski said he truly began it when he taught at Antigo back in 2000.

Production manager Colin Nyseth has been involved with the business at Eleva-Strum since 7th grade and says the business helps every student, no matter their interests.

“It doesn’t matter what career you’re going into you’re going to need to know how to problem solve, and figure things out, and run a business,” said Nyseth. “It teaches you a lot of skills that you can use later on in life.”

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Chippewa Falls fifth-grade computer programming club taking off

Stand Up for Public Ed,

The Chippewa Herald: It’s sort of like putting a puzzle together. But fifth-grade students at Hillcrest Elementary are learning storytelling techniques along with computer coding and programing at the same time.

“They really enjoy it,” said Sarah Radcliffe, technology integration coach for the Chippewa Falls School District and a district Google Guru.

She said the district’s first after-school computer coding-programming club has 14 students. The program is designed to give the students exposure to the concepts of computer science at a young age, allowing them to solve problems by getting the computer to do what they envision.

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Chi-Hi partners with CVTC to create IT Academy

Stand Up for Public Ed,

Chippewa Herald: Dylan Goss is going to be nine credits ahead when he starts classes in information technology (IT) programs at Chippewa Valley Technical College next fall. The Chippewa Falls High School senior already has been accepted into CVTC and plans to enroll in the IT-Network Specialist program.

“I eventually plan on getting a second degree from CVTC in software developer too,” Goss said.

That’s when the nine credits he’s earning at the IT Dual-Credit Academy at Chi-Hi will come in handy.

“It’s definitely going to save me some money and some time in classes I won’t have to take,” he added.

Dual credit is nothing new for CVTC and the many partner high schools in its 11-county district that have dual-credit agreements with the college. What’s different at Chi-Hi this year is a cluster of dual-credit classes in the information technology field created at the school, mirroring classes taught at CVTC and taught by a CVTC instructor right at the high school. These courses lead to an IT-User Support Technician Technical diploma.

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Students get head start on degrees

Stand Up for Public Ed,

The Dual Enrollment Welding Academy, now in its first year as a program, has attracted students from many area school districts to give them a 10-credit head start toward a 34-credit technical diploma in welding from WITC.

“These students will do about 80 hours of shield and metal welding. They will run a lot of rod,” said New Richmond High School teacher and welding academy instructor Tom Leque.

“We are going to go through about 4,000 pounds of 3/16th mild steel. The students do about 15 hours of classroom and then are also getting 10 hours of OSHA 10 certification. These kids will be pretty marketable when they graduate and be able to go right out into the workforce after tech school.”

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