Waterford Students Set Path to Manufacture their Future
Waterford Elementary Principal, Brad Lanier, knows that his students do better when they “know their why.” In fact, Wolf Creek Local Schools have a tradition of being one of SE Ohio’s Top Districts in preparing students for future success in the career and/or college of their choosing according to the Ohio Report Card Career & College Data Report 2019-2022. In collaboration with Appalachian Ohio Manufacturers’ Coalition and Ohio University, the district recently held a dedication ceremony for a series of inspirational banners installed in the school’s cafeteria.
Principal Brad Lanier gestures at the banner highlighting logos of the region’s manufacturers and schools who educate for manufacturing jobs.
Centered around the question: “Wildcats, what is your future?,” the large banners highlight a multitude of careers in the manufacturing field, the interesting equipment those careers incorporate and the logos of more than a dozen local manufacturers and the schools that educate for those jobs.
Grades 6, 7 & 8 assembled Wednesday, October 19, 2022 for the ceremony where AOMC President, Linn Yost, explained what manufacturing means. “The dictionary defines ‘manufacture’ as making or producing something by hand or machinery,” he stated. He went on to briefly describe how he made a monster mask out of gelatin using a mold and vacuum technique. “Your creative idea is what is most important,” he emphasized. Yost encouraged all the students to visit the Building Bridges to Careers Makerspace, on Franklin Street in Marietta. “We have lasers, woodworking tools, fabrics for sewing, engraving machinery and even robots. It’s all there for you, and there are people on-site to show you how to operate the equipment,” he shared. Yost also invited the students to tour his manufacturing facility, Micro Machine Works, in Barlow.“One of AOMC’s major goals is to help you learn about all the opportunities that exist in your area,” he concluded. AOMC can help facilitate student field trips to local manufacturing facilities and assist with funding for buses.
Assistant Principal, Bill Britton, thanked AOMC for the banners and stated that they will help students align with setting future goals. He then introduced Wolf Creek Superintendent, Doug Baldwin. “When I graduated high school, you basically had three options: go to college, enlist in the military, or go to work. Did you know that now, some companies may pay for you to go to college or for training?,” he relayed.
Former Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy to Governor Strickland, Janetta King, was invited as the keynote speaker. “How did I get from sitting in this cafeteria, to sitting in a meeting in the White House? I planned for my future,” she revealed. She broke it down for students, encouraging them to ponder three questions. What do you love to do? Who does that? How am I going to get there? King also stressed the importance of manufacturing for national security. “If you want to do important work that pays a good living wage, look at manufacturing,” she urged.
Former Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy to Governor Strickland, Janetta King, addresses the students.
The banners were designed by local graphic artist, Nikki Butler, and produced in collaboration with Jarvis Huck and the graphics department of Shenandoah High School.
