Building Futures Spring/Summer 2013 - Daily Journal of ...djcoregon.com/wp-files/buildingfutures/bfspringsummer2013.pdf · SPRING/SUMMER 2013// BUILDING FUTURES 5 Career Technical

// SPRING / SUMMER / 2013 //

THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY JOURNAL FOR STUDENTS a publication of the Oregon Building Congress // $3.95 //

Career Technical Education benefits students, industries p. 5Firing gourds tests mechanical engineering skills p. 10

NECA-IBEW Training Center promotes apprenticeship p. 13

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SPRING/SUMMER 2013 // Vol. 16 Issue 1

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FIRING GOURDS AT TARGETTESTS ENGINEERING SKILLS

CTE BENEFITS STUDENTSAND INDUSTRIES

NECA-IBEW CENTERPROMOTES APPRENTICESHIP

20ACE ACADEMY, PARTNERSTEAM ON CAPSTONE PROJECTS

22TRADE FAIR TARGETS NEXTGENERATION OF TRADESWOMEN

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

AGC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24City of Portland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Finishing Trades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Hamilton Construction Co. . . . . . . . . . . .24Masonry & Ceramic Tile . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4Oregon Tradeswomen Inc. . . . . . . . . . . .12Pacific NW Carpenters Institute . . . . . . . .7

Viking House gives studentschance to develop job skills

Sherwood students tacklehome-building project

SPRING / SUMMER 2013Vol. 16 Issue 1

Distributed by: Oregon Building Congress9450 S.W. Commerce Circle, Suite 260

Wilsonville, Oregon 97070Phone: 503-685-8313 Fax: 503-682-1696

e-mail: [email protected]

OBC Executive Director: Tom GoodhuePublisher: Brian Hunt

Editor: Theresa McKinlayDesign: Shannon Vincent

Advertising Sales: Dominique AbramsContributing Writers:

Mike Bryant, Julie Coleman, Jon Dickover, JamiDuyck, Jay Etnier, Chris Higginbotham, Beth

Molenkamp, Mary Ann Naylor, Karen Phillips,Connie Potter, Bridget Quinn

Published by:Daily Journal of Commerce

P.O. Box. 10127, Portland, Oregon 97296Phone: 503-226-1311; Fax: 503-226-1315

e-mail: [email protected]

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THE BOARDBOB CALWHITE, President

Pacific Northwest Carpenters’ InstituteROBERT STRADER, Secretary/Treasurer

Associated General ContractorsOregon-Columbia Chapter, Wilsonville

THOMAS GOODHUE, Executive DirectorOregon Building Congress

AL DEVITA, Immediate Past PresidentOregon/Southern Idaho Laborers –

Employers Training Trust Fund

DIRECTORSConnie Ashbrook, Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.

Rod Belise, IBEW Local 48Dan Graham, Northwest College of Construction

Peter Johnson, AONSara Martin, Slayden Construction Group

Cathleen Massier, City of PortlandJarmed Kildare, USI Northwest

Frank Wall, Plumbing and MechanicalContractors Association

THE ORGANIZATIONSAssociated General Contractors Contract

Administration FundAssociated General Contractors of America

Oregon-Columbia ChapterBatzer Inc.

City of PortlandConstruction Industry Training Trust &

Affiliated Training ProgramsDaily Journal of Commerce

HVAC & Metals Institute, Sheet MetalTraining Fund

NECA/IBEW Training CenterNorthwest College of Construction

Oregon/Southern Idaho Laborers – Employers Training Trust Fund

Pacific Northwest Carpenters Institute(Oregon-Washington Employers-Carpenters

Apprenticeship and Training Trust)SMACNA Columbia Chapter

USI Northwest

SPONSORSAndersen Construction

Associated General ContractorsAGC, Oregon-Columbia Chapter, Foundation

Bureau of Labor and IndustriesContract Administration Fund

Earth Advantage InstituteEmerick Construction

Goodfellow Brothers, Inc.Greater Portland Roofers and Waterproofers, JATC

Hamilton ConstructionHVAC and Metals Institute

Intel CorporationMt. Hood Cable Regulatory Commission

NECA-IBEWNorthwest College of ConstructionOCF Joseph E. Weston Foundation

Olaf Oja Lumber CompanyOregon Occupational Safety and Health Division,

Oregon and Southern Idaho Laborers Training TrustDepartment of Consumer and Business Services

Oregon Department of TransportationP & C Construction

Pacific Northwest Carpenters InstitutePlumbing and Mechanical Contractors Association

Portland General ElectricPortland General Electric Foundation

The Safeway Foundation

BUILDING FUTURES EXPANDED ISSUE ONLINE!More stories and more photos can be found at djcoregon.com/building futures! In thisexpanded edition, also learn about Forest Grove School District’s Career Day, Forest GroveHigh School’s Machine Manufacturing Program, Canby High School’s activities and theSabin-Schellenberg Professional Technical Center.

THINK GREEN AND STAY ON TOP OF THE NEWS!You can receive your copy of Building Futures electronically. To join the e-list, send youremail address to Tom Goodhue, OBC executive director, at [email protected].

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FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TOM GOODHUEWELCOME

This issue I am elect-ing to share with yousome thoughts on edu-cation that representsmany of the roadblocksin developing a worldclass system here inOregon. Below is acommentary I receivedfrom Kyle Laier, who is the principal atCAIS (Clackamas Academy of IndustrialSciences). As an educator he discussesthe need for a commitment to a paradigmshift in the way we teach students. Pleaseread, enjoy and become involved with OBCto make a change.

Over the past 50 years, there has beena consistent political focus on our educa-tional system being broken and in needof significant reform. Many efforts toreform our school system and better pre-pare students for the future have comeand gone during this time. If you’ve spentany time this past decade following edu-cational research, listening to reformersor tracking school initiatives, you’ve heardreference to schools ensuring that ALLstudents learn. Not only have we calledfor ALL students to learn, but also oftenwe’ve rallied for them to learn at high lev-els. I myself have been an advocate formany of these efforts, but am often per-plexed by our laser-like focus on a fewareas in effort to prepare ALL studentsfor the diverse opportunities their futureoffers them.

In recent efforts to prepare ALL stu-dents for a successful future we havefocused on a few measures that ignorethe diversity of our society, economy andopportunities. Legislators have votedthrough reforms such as No Child LeftBehind with the goal of preparing ALL stu-dents. These efforts are honorable, but ifwe’ve learned anything, it is that theseefforts fall well short of fully preparingALL. Preparing our students only to meetthe entrance requirements of a four-yearcollege ignores the diversity of skills

needed for today and tomorrow’s job. Youcannot narrow your focus to teaching stu-dents reading, math and writing whileneglecting opportunities to apply employ-able skills of teamwork, communicationand problem solving. Nor can you cutcareer-technical courses, art classes andbusiness courses that inspire students totake advantage of their inherent skillsand give them relevant opportunities toapply skills learned in core areas.

More detrimental is our measurementof ALL with test scores that have mean-ing, but are far from the full picture. Theymeasure a student’s ability to answer hol-low math problems, comprehend pas-sages trivial to the student and write oncue about prompts that lack relevance totheir present or future. These are consid-ered the measures of successful schools.States create report cards to rate schoolson their success on these tests. Inresponse to diminishing public invest-ment and this focus, schools cancelimportant learning activities, discontinueelectives and place students in remedialcourses creating with the purpose of get-ting students to pass the test. Reactionsto this type of legislation mugs ALL stu-dents of course opportunities that pre-pare them for their successful future.

If you don’t believe our efforts to pre-pare ALL students are failing, look at oureconomy. There are many reasons for therecent economy, but one that relatesdirectly to schools. I currently work withmore than 50 employers, some are thelargest employers in the state. Most ofthese businesses have jobs that they can-not fill. The reason: lack of a skilled work-force. Recent efforts to prepare ALL stu-dents are far from accomplishing the goal.They are only part of the solution. We needto be honest about the diversity of prepa-ration our schools offer and the false hopeour narrow measures report about ourmost important state product. It’s time thediscussion and funding went beyondpreparing students for state tests andbecame about preparing ALL students.

The Evolution of ‘All’

Tom Goodhue

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Career Technical Educationbenefits students and industries

There are great things going on in ourhigh schools and great kids doing amaz-ing work. Chances are, that quality teach-ing and learning is part of a CTE program.What’s CTE? Career and TechnicalEducation! And CTE is designed to helpgive high school students the skills andeducation they need to be successful incareers, school, and life.

CTE programs recognize that even ifstudents go on to college they’ll need ajob and good work habits. Nationally theon-time graduation rates of high schoolstudents are cause for concern. Lack ofwork-related skills and losing our jobs tooverseas workers due to an unskilledworkforce are all issues that cause con-cern.

High school students in CTE coursesare helping us fill that gap. Nationally, on-time graduation rates are lower than mostpeople want them to be at 79 percent.Oregon graduated 68 percent of its highschool students in four years. (Oregon’shigh school graduation rate is the fourthworst in nation; no state graduates fewerwhite students on time. Oregonian,November 27, 2012, Betsy Hammond)Oregon’s CTE programs are more success-ful. Oregon’s CTE students’ graduationrates are 82 percent; nationally, we seeCTE students’ graduation rate is morethan 90 percent.

Equally problematic is the fact thatemployers often say that students don’thave the skills they need to succeed inthe work force. Additionally, certain indus-try sectors do not have enough new work-ers graduating from high school or collegeprograms with the skills and work habitsneeded to ensure the success of thatindustry or to prevent loss of jobs to over-seas workers.

In Oregon CTE programs are developingour most valuable resource – its people.CTE programs are developing skilled work-

ers in specific focus areas: Agriculture,Food and Natural Resource Systems; Arts,Information and Communications;Business Management; Health Sciences;Human Resources; and Industrial andEngineering Systems. Within these con-tent areas, students learn through hands-on, engaging learning experiences whatthat career focus area demands of itsworkers. Students leave the programswith practical, marketable skills, whichincrease their ability to compete for jobs.

CTE programs often offer Dual Credit totheir students as well. If enrolled in anapproved Dual Credit program studentsearn high school credit for their classwhile they earn college credit for thatcourse at the same time. This helps stu-dents earn credits toward a certificate orassociates degree, shortening the amountof time they spend in college. It’s a wiseeconomic choice as well because itdecreases the rate of personal collegedebt.

This dual credit experience is good forstudents and the state because it increas-es the number of students who attend col-

lege from 72.6 percent of graduates whoattend college to 81.4 percent of gradu-ates earning Dual Credit who attend.Students are also more likely to persist incollege making it to that second year at arate of 87 percent. Dual credit studentsalso earn higher grade point averages.

The success of CTE and Dual Credit isimportant for Oregon to continue to devel-op a solid economic infrastructure. Bothof these programs rely on industry guid-ance to assure that they are meeting cur-rent standards. Through regular interac-tion and advisory boards, programs workto assure that they stay current withindustry standards, education and trends.

Beth Molenkamp is PACTEC/PCC Dual Creditcoordinator at Portland Community College.

BY BETH MOLENKAMPEDUCATION

In Gaston’s CTE Construction program bothyoung men and women get the opportunity touse industry standard equipment, work onauthentic projects like furniture, and subcontractto build cabinets for a house that is going on themarket in the Sherwood community. Studentslearn about project management, acceptableindustry standards, and budgeting.

Are you looking at the future? At Tigard HighSchool in the CTE Computer Science class stu-dents can take industry certifications duringschool that will get them a job directly out of highschool. They program, they design, they test, theyrefine. These CTE students build robots for compe-tition, for land, water and this year for air. You arelooking into the future when you take this type ofCTE program of study.

6 BUILDING FUTURES // SPRING/SUMMER 2013

The Bowmen House project is a compi-lation of several programs at SherwoodHigh School in Sherwood to design, buildand sell a house on the open market.

The question has been asked severaltimes, “How did the Bowmen House proj-ect come about?” The real answer is longand I usually give a pretty condensed ver-sion. However, I felt this time I would gointo greater detail and explain the wholestory.

The background of my personal life isthat I grew up a jock. There was not verymuch in school that interested me exceptfor sports. Woodshop, metalshop andautoshop were available when I attendedSherwood High School from 1987-1991,but I took weightlifting instead. I went toLinfield College where I played basketball.Still not really enjoying anything academ-ic, I had to choose a major. I wanted tostay connected to athletics, so I went intophysical education where I had somewonderful teachers who helped mebecome inspired and actually enjoy what Iwas learning. That is a brief look at myeducational background, which mirrorsmany students in the world today.

In 2005 I was getting married and mypaycheck was not enough to pay for awedding. My fiance’s father was a con-tractor, so I asked him if I could work forhim to help pay for my wedding. I reallyenjoyed the work. After my wife and I weremarried I continued to work wherever Icould during summers, spring break, holi-day breaks and weekends. With a child onthe way in 2008, I started putting in moreand more time working for various con-tractors and even doing some work of myown. It was the process of having a familyof my own that I began to think of where Iwanted to raise a family. Sherwood has

always been a wonderful place, so I land-ed back in Sherwood. Sherwood wasgreat for me as a youth and I knew itwould be a great place for my new fami-ly. I have always thought the schools did afantastic job, but with my newly found lineof work I realized what Sherwood schools,at the time were missing.

John Niebergall was the woodshop anddrafting teacher at SHS while I wasattending high school. He continued toteach Woodshop/Engineering andArchitecture at Sherwood while I taughtMiddle School PE. I met up with him oneevening and over the course of conversa-tion we talked about starting a construc-tion program at SHS. He said he wouldhelp me if I was serious and I was reallyexcited about the possibilities. At thistime, Tom Tannehill was a counselor atSHS. He had built a house with studentsback in 1981, but budget reductions in

the ‘80’s caused the program to be shutdown. So, we contacted him for advicebefore we went any further with this idea.A few weeks later the superintendent atthe time, Dan Jamison, walked throughthe gym of Sherwood Middle Schoolwhere I was teaching my PE class. I askedhim if he had a second and he graciouslylistened to our idea. He ended the conver-sation by telling me that he loved the ideaand that I needed to meet him in hisoffice at my earliest convenience. I wasexpecting more push back, but the ballwas rolling.

The following week, Mr. Niebergall, Mr.Jameson, Mr Lowry (district CFO) andmyself were meeting at the districtoffice. I was told to put together a presen-tation for the next school board meetingwhere we would pitch the idea and onemonth later, I was showing a Powerpointof our dream and how I thought it could

BY JON DICKOVEREDUCATION

Real-World SkillsSherwood students tackle home-building project

Work on the Bowmen House is nearing completion, with an open house set for May 31. Communitymembers are invited to visit and see what Sherwood High School students have accomplished collab-oratively with hard work, dedication and creativity.


benefit so many different students. Theschool board seemed to think it wasviable and accepted my proposal. Thenext few months were spent researchinghow a program like this should be run.John Niebergall told me about ForestGrove High School, where I found theideal program. I have yet to find a pro-gram that exceeds what they do. So, Ihave used them as a model for my con-struction program at SHS.

In fall of 2008 I moved from being a PEteacher at SMS, to being a woodshopteacher at SHS. It was a huge transition:learning how a woodshop is run, buildingan inventory of up-to-date equipment,developing the actual construction pro-gram where we built sheds to learn thebasics of framing and siding. Kids reallybegan enjoying this class and startedbecoming very excited about the possibili-ty of building a house.

My wife is a real estate agent andbecame friends with an architect and hiswife, Richard and Candace White of the

White House Collection. As we began toprepare to build our first house, she con-tacted Candace who said they would loveto help our school. In the winter of 2010-11 Richard and Candace began volunteer-ing occasionally with Mr. Niebergall’sArchitecture class. They guided studentson how to design the Bowmen House.They led the class and eventually hiredone of the class “allstars” to work as anintern on the Bowmen House duringspring break. After this, the class contin-ued working on the design until wereached a point where Richard had totake over and put the final professionaltouches before it was sent to Engineeringand finally permitted.

The following fall, my construction stu-dents returned to school Sept. 1 to findthe foundation poured, ready for them tobegin framing the Bowmen House. Wespent the entire school year framing andsiding the house. We have 70 minutes forstudents to get from the high school tothe job site, roll out tools, work and put

tools away so they can get back to theschool to catch the bus or prepare fortheir after-school activities. During thispast spring (2012), the Interior Designclass also took the opportunity to use thisas a real-world experience and chose thesurfaces for the home.

The house sat empty and basicallyuntouched over the summer with theexception of insulation and sheetrocking,and when the students returned this pastfall, we finished up any outside necessi-ties and began with the finish work insidethe house. We continue to do the finishwork while the Environmental Scienceclass in the meantime has developed alandscaping plan to implement in thespring of 2013.

Another point of special interest is thecabinetry of the house. Sadly, there arenot very many high school woodshop pro-grams around any more, but during a dis-cussion with Gaston High School teacher,Wade Sims, we came up with the idea for

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BOWMEN HOUSE, continued on page 11


I have been a woodshop and construc-tion teacher since 1995. One year duringparent/teacher conferences, a first-yearwoodshop student’s father came in withan interpreter and asked an excellentquestion. The interpreter hesitated amoment after hearing it, seeminglysearching for the correct phrase, thensaid, “He wishes to know … what good isit? What good is this class to his daugh-ter? What is she learning?”

This father wanted to know whether awoodshop class would be a worthwhile useof his daughter’s time. Coming from indus-try, I have always considered students’ par-ents as “customers” who expect a certainresult. In any type of class, it is importantto avoid wasting the students’ time, and toensure that the class is doing some goodfor them. Cut out the fluff, get to the point,and do something meaningful. Run proper-ly, vocational courses can offer specificknowledge in useful fields and a tangibleproduct to represent the work a studenthas put in over time. The essential ques-tion is: once the class is over, what goodhas it done for the student?

To provide a clear answer to this ques-tion at the end of the semester, it isalways my goal that a student finisheswith a useful project they built with theirown hands using industry-relevant equip-ment and procedures. The skillsetrequired to build these projects promotesself-reliance by giving them a head startin maintaining the likely largest purchaseof their lives, a home. For others, it mayalso lead into a possible career path,whether it is carpentry or one of the hun-dreds of professions associated with theconstruction of a house – the very reasonit is used as an economic indicator. Either

way, the sure thing is that each studenthas gained useful practical knowledge.

It has been my honor to run the ForestGrove Viking House program since 1998,in which a hand-picked crew of advancedconstruction students builds a single-storyhome for sale over the course of a schoolyear. (www.fghsvikinghouse.com). The stu-dents who participate have been diversein every sense, from backgrounds andinterests, to beliefs and aspirations. Whatmost have in common is a desire to dosomething more in school. They want todo something worthwhile, something theycan see both a purpose and a result for –really the foundation of vocational educa-tion. There is a pretty steady stream offormer crew members that makes theirway back to visit the jobsite each year. In2011 I kept track of who came by andcounted almost 30, all with stories about

their time here and what it meant tothem.

About half have gone into industry-relat-ed careers. There have been several car-penters, electricians, plumbers, engi-neers, roofers, general contractors, HVACtechs, and at least one architect. All haveexpressed in some way the value of theirexperience here as a head start in theirchosen fields. Even the more academical-ly inclined students involved (we have hadmany very good students and severalvaledictorians) almost all claim the VikingHouse project as their most meaningfulexperience in high school. These studentsoften speak of the confidence the VikingHouse gave them in taking on large tasksand the appreciation it gave them for theirfellow students whose strengths were inthe hands-on areas. Many also havepointed out how much the 15 articulated

Valuable LessonsViking House gives Forest Grove students

opportunity to develop on-the-job skills

BY CHRIS HIGGINBOTHAMEDUCATION

This year’s Viking House crew has gained valuable skills. About half of the previous crew membershave gone into industry-related careers, including carpentry, plumbing, roofing, HVAC, general con-

tracting and architecture.


credits with PCC for the program helped ingetting a jump on their education.

One student in particular stands outthat recently graduated from OSU’sConstruction Engineering Managementprogram. He gave an inspiring talk to thecurrent VH crew about how his experiencehelped him to gain immediate upperclass-man privileges in the OSU program. Healso spoke about the many intern andscholarship opportunities that allowedhim to graduate debt free with manyemployment opportunities. In fact, he saidthe employment rate for that program ismore than 95 percent with the undergrad-uate degree. I am excited for the studentsthat have expressed interest in enrolling inthe program.

For the many that have gone into thetrades, all hit the ground running with realmarketable skills valuable to an employer.Being job-wise, safety conscious andunderstanding how the structure goestogether set them apart from other appli-cants. Not to mention an impressiveskillset for their young age make themoutstanding apprentices. One tested outas the number one ranked plumbingapprentice in the state of Oregon yearsago and now manages a large plumbingcompany. Two students from last year’screw recently took their written tests andinterviews for union electrical apprentice-ships. Out of more than 600 applicants,many older and currently working on job-sites as laborers, they ranked 4 and 5.They are currently in the basic trainingclass for the apprenticeship and say thenext youngest person in the class is 25.They credit their vocational courses atFGHS in metals, woods, construction, (andauto and drafting cut last year due tobudget reductions) for giving them a dis-tinct advantage in their placement.Several others have pointed to the VikingHouse program as the reason they werehired by contractors. For some it led tothem being general contractors in theirown right in short order. One student(VH2006 & VH2007) has acquired andrenovated several rental properties withhis brother (VH 2003) and others havetold similar stories about flipping houses

and making very good livings. For vocational education, the threat of

budget cuts raises the stakes when itcomes to making classes as effective aspossible. All parents want that originalquestion answered: “What good is it?”These courses have the opportunity to pro-vide unique, valuable experience to youngpeople during their high school education.And it is clear that this experience has vastpractical application in the real world. In myopinion the foremost goal of a high schoolshould be to assist students in becomingproductive members of society, and voca-tional programs are our most powerful toolin achieving that. That is the good of it.

Chris Higginbotham is the construction and woodshop instructor at Forest Grove High School.

For the many that have gone into the trades, all hit the ground running with real

marketable skills valuable to an employer.Being job-wise, safety conscious and

understanding how the structure goes togetherset them apart from other applicants.


BY JAMI DUYCKEDUCATION

What used to be the industrial arts pro-grams at Forest Grove High School havegone through a tremendous amount ofchange during the past few years. Whatare now called Career and TechnicalEducation, or CTE, classes consist ofwoodshop, metal shop, and agriculturalscience classes.

Machine manufacturing is a series offour classes in the metal shop. The intro-ductory class exposes kids to a wide vari-ety of metal processes including arc weld-ing, oxyacetylene welding and cutting,bench metal, and basic shop safety. Asstudents move through the program theygain experience in SMAW, OAC, GMAW,GTAW, lathe work, and milling.

During the past five years studentshave worked on two trailer projects: ahydraulic dump trailer for the agriculturedepartment land lab, and an equipmenttrailer for a local FFA alumni member.

Last year we had the opportunity tostart a partnership with Oregon IronWorks, in Clackamas. OIW has openedtheir campus to us for field trips, sent pro-fessionals into the classroom to teach aclass for a day, supplied materials andprojects for students, and connected stu-dents to job opportunities. The long-termgoal is to provide students who have apassion for the metals industry a directpathway from graduation to a career.

Due to our partnership with OIW wehave also connected with the Local 516Ironworkers in Portland. We have guestspeakers come out for the day and talk tokids about how apprenticeships work,have kids actively participating in hands-on demonstrations, and last year we hada new piece of equipment set-up duringclass so the students could use it.

High school kids are really looking foroptions after high school, not just a pathto college. Industry partnerships aresparking interest and getting kids involved

and wanting to know how they can be apart of it.

Senior John Cunningham said, “Thanksto metals I now have a plan for my future.”John plans to apply at OIW and transferinto the Local 516 Ironworkers apprentice-ship, all connections he made by activelyparticipating in the manufacturing pro-gram. John also completed his senior proj-ect using skills he learned in class,designing and fabricating a sidehack forhis bike. John bought a sidehack fromWalmart when he was a junior and decid-ed he didn’t like the design, so he built

Machine manufacturing program offers pathway to job opportunities

Above: Student John Cunningham works on his project, the sidehack. Below: The finished sidehack.

Above: Senior Cameron Sahnow (left) and seniorTrevor Glynn work on the lathe on their meat ten-derizer.

Kids that participated in an all-day class with amachinist from Oregon Iron Works and the proj-ect they did on the lathe – a meat tenderizer.

one. After the first one, he decided hecould make a bigger and better one, so hebuilt a double sidehack.

Other students involved in the metalsprogram have similar passions. SeniorTanner Aust said, “I really enjoy coming tometals class, it is the only reason I like tocome to school on the days I have met-als.” Junior Kenneth Ridenour said, “Beingable to come to metals class gives memotivation to come to school and attendmy other classes.” Senior Eli Gunthersaid, “Metals is the best class I havetaken at Forest Grove High School.”

The drive behind the machine manufac-turing program is to expose kids to skillsand careers that they may not experienceotherwise. There will be thousands of jobsin the trades in the United States in thenext five to 10 years, and we need youngworkers to fill those jobs. The goal is tohelp kids that have a passion for workingwith their hands and are looking for analternative to a four-year university find apath that works for them, and will lead

them to a high-skill, high-wage career.Jami Duyck is the welding and manufacturing

instructor at Forest Grove High School.


BOWMEN HOUSE, continued from page 7

his class to build the Bowmen Housecabinets. This has proven to be a verysuccessful endeavor as his class hasdone a great job of producing profession-al quality cabinets.

Needless to say, although I am spear-heading this project, there has been atremendous amount of help from industryand community members. Many peopleand businesses have volunteered theirtime and efforts, others have been verygenerous in helping with donations. It isdifficult to list all of the donations at thistime as there are so many. Some of themajor contributors, excluding individuals,have been: Malarkey Roofing Products,Fisher Roofing, Fireside Distributors, NWPainting and Construction, LLC., KoeberFloors, The McCabe Real Estate Groupand others. I believe they see the tremen-dous value in a school-wide project thatintegrates real-world situations and learn-ing into a much-needed curricular area.

It has been a joy to watch studentsrealize all the different career fields thatare directly influenced by constructionand the trades. Students often comeback after graduation to see how thehouse is progressing. They contact me toask, “How is my house coming? Yourclass hasn’t messed up the room I builthave they?” The ownership and pridethey are taking is commendable.

We are on schedule to be completedand hosting an open house May 31,2013. I welcome all community membersto come visit The Bowmen House to seewhat the students of multiple classes atSherwood High School have accom-plished collaboratively with hard work,dedication and creativity. As a partingmessage, I want to really emphasize thework of the entire student body and com-munity. The partnerships of the adminis-tration, teachers of various areas(Architecture, Interior Design,Construction, Newspaper, and Cabinetryat Gaston High) have made this truly acollaborative project that can be and willbe sustainable and successful.

Jon Dickover is the construction teacher for theBowman House at Sherwood High School.

The Forest Grove High School welding and machining team that competed at the Linn-BentonCommunity College Industrial Skills Contest on March 7. Trevor Glynn won 3rd place in the GTAWcontest, winning a welding helmet and jacket. The students competed in GMAW, GTAW, SMAW,General Welding, and turning contests.

Senior Erin Carlson arc welding.

BY CONNIE POTTEREDUCATION

Students encouraged to ‘Soar with Dreams’On Saturday, March 2, the Forest Grove

School District hosted its annual “Soarwith Your Dreams” career conference heldat Pacific University. The event serves stu-dents in grades 5-8 with surrounding dis-tricts invited to participate. The conferencewas started 15 years ago as a way to getstudents thinking about their future, set-ting goals and doing what it takes to reachthose goals. They tell kids to dream big,that they can be anything they want to beif they just put in the planning and work tomake it happen. The district chose to holdthe conference at Pacific University to alsogive the kids a taste of college life.

The conference has grown from about35 kids the first couple of years to morethan 180 this year. That’s pretty amazingsince it’s held on a Saturday when it com-petes with kids’ sports and other activities.The event is fun as well as educational,with pizza, prizes, snacks and giveaways.The kids have a ball, and a large numberof them come back every year they are eli-gible.

The day starts with a keynote presenter,then breaks into small, hands-on careersessions. The hands-on is what makes thisconference different. Instead of listeningto someone talk about his/her career, thekids get to do and see activities related tothat career. At the carpentry session, stu-dents learned to use a tape measure. Forthe construction labor session, they built ascaffold. For the dentist session, they puton gloves and face masks and examinedeach other’s teeth and practiced givingshots on oranges. For the chef session,

they chopped ingredients and made salsa.For the law enforcement session, theydusted pop cans for fingerprints and con-ducted an investigation.

Students got to attend four differentcareer sessions during the morning(choosing from nine different offeringseach session). There were 36 career ses-sions in all. A variety of careers wereoffered, from the trades to white collarjobs. The conference tries to offer a newmix of careers every year. The kids seemto love them all. One of the interestingthings is that every single career gets atleast a few mentions on the evaluations assomeone’s favorite of the day.

The evaluations are always really posi-tive. Here is a sampling of the comments:

What I liked best about Soar With YourDreams:

“I liked that I learned a lot about con-struction. Plus they explained it clearly.”

“I liked all the hands on stuff we got todo, and all of the stuff we learned.”

“The nice people, making new friends,and career lessons.”

“I liked how most of the sessionsweren’t boring. They were fun.”

“I got to learn about all sorts of careersto help me decide what I want to do when

I grow up.”“I loved it all.”

What I liked least:“Nothing. I loved it all.”“I actually liked everything.”“I don’t really know because it was all

so fun.”“That it had to end.”Thanks to Bob Calwhite with Pacific

Northwest Carpenters’ Institute and AidaAranda with Oregon Southern IdahoLaborers-Employers Training Trust for gra-ciously donating their time to work withstudents at this years’ event.

Connie Potter is the chief of staff/communicationsdirector at the Forest Grove School District.

Forest Grove School District’s Career Day features a variety of hands-on activities

for 5th-8th graders to explore.



Located in Milwaukie, Ore., in the NorthClackamas School District, the Sabin-Schellenberg Professional TechnicalCenter (SSC) currently offers high schoolstudents a choice of more than 60 elec-tive classes in 15 different career fields.Many of the programs offered provide stu-dents with STEM (Science, Technology,Engineering, and Math) skills. Studentslearn STEM skills in Agriculture,Automotive Service Technology, ComputerAided Design, Digital Design, ElectronicsTechnology, Forestry, Health Services, andManufacturing & Engineering. All pro-grams have college articulation allowingstudents to also earn college credit atarea community colleges. Additional learn-ing opportunities are provided for stu-dents in these STEM programs throughafter school leadership organizations thatconnect students with adults in industry:SkillsUSA, Forestry Club, FFA, Scrub Club,ACE Mentors, and FIRST Robotics.

SSC’s latest student leadership organi-zation is a FIRST Robotics team, the SabinSharks. Electronics and manufacturingstudents meet several nights a week todesign, build and program advanced robotmachines used to compete in the FIRSTRobotics Challenge Regional Competition.Team meetings are fun, fast-paced eventswhere the Sabin Sharks’ three sub-teams(Mechanical, Electrical, and Programming)create their individual pieces of the puz-zle. Each sub-team is a highly specializedgroup consisting of several students withtraining in their specific area; team mem-bers apply their STEM skills each timethey meet.

The mechanical team designs, cuts,welds, and assembles all the large physi-cal items for the robot. They build theframes, subsystems, and devices that willlater be controlled by the other two teams’creations. The Electrical team handles allthings having to do with electricity and the

manipulation of power. They build circuitsand manage power distribution. TheProgramming team exists as a base forthe robot. Programming is done in the“LABView” language, which drives the

electrical team’s designs, which in turndetermine mechanical’s constructs.

The initial FRC (FIRST RoboticsCompetition) challenge in 2012 was todesign and build a basketball hoop-shoot-

BY JULIE COLEMAN AND KAREN PHILLIPSEDUCATION

Sabin-Schellenberg Center – Preparing tomorrow’sleaders today through innovation and application

Eleven Advanced Electronic students are currently working on the modification of radio-controlledcars. The assignment? Take a standard remote-controlled car, gut it, use its chassis and motor, thenengineer the unit by developing a remote control and circuit boards.

ing robot from start to finish, all within a six-week period. As afirst-year team, students received a slightly larger than usual kitof parts. However, FRC kits are no simple assembly job. Kits con-tain a large amount of unassociated parts with no explanation orguide of any sort. What to use and where is completely up to theteam members. Often students bought different parts or builttheir own devices entirely. The finished robot must meet veryspecific weight, height, width, and overall size requirements andstill be able to collect foam basketballs, shoot them through bas-kets, and balance with another robot on a small bridge for bonuspoints. The final product was a 120-pound, tank-driven, basket-ball-firing masterpiece costing more than $10,000. This wasmade possible by generous contributions from SSC businesspartners ODE and NASA. Overall, the team did very well in itsfirst FIRST competition.

This winter’s 2013 FRC competition challenge was to build arobot capable of shooting frisbees into small goals, in addition tobe able to climb a large pyramid to a point over 2 meters in theair. Designing a system that can lift its weight and not drop themachine was definitely a difficult challenge. “It is definitely a lotharder than the one last year, but that’s what makes it fun!” saysteam leader, Nick McComb. Online chatter between older teamsseems to confirm that this year was the hardest FRC challenge todate.

In their second year, the team received a smaller kit; in orderto stretch resources, students incorporated 2012 robot compo-nents into the design. The team tripled the number of businesspartners, as Wahoo Waffles, Blount, Cranston Machine, LesSchwab, G.T.S., Apollo Chemical, and Septiclear all helped toensure students had the resources and support to build a greatrobot.

FRC Robotics after-school club is not the only time studentscan learn about and apply the skills related to robotics. The SSCfourth-year Advanced Electronics students have been gainingskills and knowledge, preparing for this type of challenge, work-ing 60 minutes every day applying math and learning to engineerelectronic devices. Electronics Technology instructor, WayneSellevaag, teaches both at the high school and at the college,thus ensuring students are learning the skills and knowledgethey need for post high school education. Advanced Electronicsstudents receive four college credits at Clackamas CommunityCollege for EET254 – Introduction to Microprocessors.

Eleven Advanced Electronic students are currently working onthe modification of radio-controlled cars. The assignment? Takea standard remote-controlled car, gut it, use its chassis andmotor, then engineer the unit by developing a remote control andcircuit boards. The first step in this process is to test the vehi-cle’s parameters: speed, current drawn, forward and reverseacceleration, braking, and turn radius. During testing, studentsdetermined the speed of the vehicle was too fast and developeda pulse width modulated voltage regulator to control it.

Based on test results, students each selected their vehicle ofchoice, radio car or truck. Then the work began in earnest.

SSC’s latest student leadership organization is a FIRST Robotics team, theSabin Sharks. Electronics and manufacturing students meet several nightsa week to design, build and program advanced robot machines used tocompete in the FIRST Robotics Challenge Regional Competition.



Working with their own drawings andschematics, students developed H-bridgetransistor circuit boards to control thevehicle without changing the wiring; infra-red optical sensors for the front end tokeep vehicles from running into anything;and a three sub-program sound sensor(controlled by clapping) to change vehicledirection or speed. Then students calcu-late the voltage input and output requiredfor all of these sensors. The next step is toput it all together on the main circuitboard.

Utilizing the PIC 16 F84A 20-pin socketmicrochip processor allows students aninfinite number of options; students canbreadboard, test and reprogram as need-ed to perfect their design. Several weekswere spent learning the PIC microprocess-ing programming code and conductinglabs to make lights blink and turn motorson and off. This is definitely a studentdriven project … every design is as uniqueand individual as the student developingit. As Sellevaag stated, “This class is chal-lenging and fun for me as well. I get to fig-ure out what students’ were thinking inorder to help them problem solve on theirown design.”

Certified Career-ReadyAnother opportunity for students to

apply and strengthen their STEM mathskills is in the SSC Manufacturing andEngineering program. In 2012, weldinginstructor Mark Lynch spent his summerearning his certification as a welding edu-cator and inspector. His goal: to provide awelding certificate program to interestedjuniors and seniors in the Manufacturingand Engineering program.

Through a rigorous application andinterview process, seven students wereaccepted in the program the first year; fiveof them received their American WeldingSociety (AWS) D1.1 certificate by year’send. “IMR Test Labs came to SSC andsupervised the physical testing,” explainsLynch, “then took the physical samplesand tested them in their lab.” Throughoutthe year, students worked on assignmentsand learned safety out of the code book,learning welding symbols in order to writetheir own welder procedure specificationfor their test. In order to get enough timewelding, students had to commit to spend-ing all class time, two-and-a-half hoursevery other day, and time outside of class

working toward their certification test. “Ialways knew the kids could do it. I wasreally happy when they passed; some hadto test twice, but they did pass,” saysLynch.

Now in its second year, eight studentsare working toward their certification test.Four of them returned from the firstseven, and are working on a second AWScertification. Asked what drew him to thewelding certificate option, Devin, a fourth-year Manufacturing program studentreplies: “I never wanted to go to college,but wanted an option to get a job right outof high school that would pay above mini-mum wage. And I could use it to pay forschool should I decide to go.”

At Sabin-Schellenberg, they strive toensure that students graduate with theskills to be career ready; now studentscan leave with a certificate that proves it.

Co-written by Julie Coleman and Karen Phillips.

At Sabin-Schellenberg, they strive to ensure thatstudents graduate with the skills to be careerready; now students can leave with a certificatethat proves it.


The Oregon State Pumpkin Chunkin’event is growing in popularity and qualityeach year. For the past two years SamBarlow students have entered the event,as well as teams from Centennial andNestucca – this past year Willamette andthe ACE Academy also competed.

The event is held each year at thegreen space adjacent to Southwest 11thStreet and Northwest Monroe Avenue inCorvallis, and run by the Oregon StateUniversity Chapter of The AmericanSociety of Mechanical Engineers, orOSUASME. The event started severalyears ago, but has been attended by highschools students for the past two years;each year better attended than the previ-ous. Further, the contest is a grand oppor-tunity to travel to a college campus, com-pete against other schools, and mostimportantly engage in some compellingengineering.

The idea, as indicated below, is toshoot a pumpkin 30 yards at a specifictarget; accuracy and consistency count.Additionally, a team can garner greaterreward by heaving heavier gourds. Thework put in by students to engineer(design, build, test, modify, test again,and again) and finally compete is a valu-able and educationally sound endeavor.

According to the motto: “Those who dothe work do the learning,” it becomesclear the work put in by these teams pre-cipitated a considerable amount of educa-tion. Talk to your teacher about assem-bling a team and heading to OSU to par-ticipate next fall!

The past two years Sam Barlow hascreated spring-propelled devices thathave worked reasonably well, but theengineering was impressively educationaland considerably enjoyable. Further, thefirst year the Barlow team entered adevice, the team made adjustments to

Pumpkin Chunkin’BY JAY ETNIEREDUCATION

Firing gourds at a target tests mechanical engineering skills

The idea is to shoot a pumpkin 30 yards at a specific target, accuracy and consistency count.Additionally, a team can garner greater reward by heaving heavier gourds.

The work put in by stu-dents to engineer (design,build, test, modify, testagain, and again) andfinally compete is a valu-able and educationallysound endeavor.


the design, retested, and entered thedevice into a local science fair where theyearned top honors for the engineering cat-egory.

Centennial High School won the 2011event, shooting a pumpkin 50 yards andnearly hitting the target – only a few inch-es away several times. Nestucca HighSchool placed second, in a close competi-tion, and Barlow rounded out the topthree.

Nestucca High School won the 2012event with a considerable trebuchetdevice, employing several hundredpounds of counter weight to hurl sizablepumpkins 50 yards or more. They wereconsistent, had a grand device, and allthe paperwork and relevant testing data,giving them the first place award. The sec-ond and third place awards were taken bythe ACE teams, which employed slingshotdevices and were consistent in hitting thetarget.

If you are looking to win the event, keepin mind this is ultimately an engineeringcompetition and success alone will notadvance you into the top spot. A nice port-folio with hand drawings, AutoCAD orother CAD drawings, pictures of the fabri-cation, evidence of problem solving, test-ing data, and improvements to the

Here is last year’s official posting of the con-test rules and regulations by OSU:Rules:

• Entrance Fee is $5 per team; with team nomore than 4 people. The event is open to all OSUstudents and participating high schools.

• Schools can have multiple teams.• Size of device must be no larger than

6x6x6’. The device is allowed to exceed dimen-sions during operation.

• Competitors must supply their own pump-kins. There are no size or shape restrictions; how-ever it must be an orange pumpkin to qualify.

• Larger, heavier pumpkins will be awardedadditional points.

• Competitors will have 5 consecutive shots.• Devices employing the use of hydraulics,

pneumatic, explosives or engines are banned.Scoring:

The device shall be judged on design, perform-ance, and safety. The device shall be designed toimpact a target 35 yards away.Design:

• Relevant documentation of design of thedevice (+10pts)

• 2 pts- Design explanation• 2 pts- Clean, relevant physics• 2 pts- Testing data• 2 pts- Device Image, labeled• 2 pts- Team/Member Names, use of clean

presentation• Team Spirit (+15 pts), themed teams (+5).• Well-made (+10 pts).• Aesthetically Pleasing (+5 pts).• Functional (+5 if successful/ -5 if non-suc-

cessful).Performance:

• 35 yard target (+50 pts).• 5’ rings around target (+30, 15, 5 pts).

Safety:• Deemed safe (+15pts), competitors have

until 2:30 p.m. to make repairs to device.

• If deemed unsafe competitors have until2:30 p.m. to make repairs to device to qualify forperformance.

• If deemed unsafe during competition judgesmay remove device from competition and judgedsolely on design.Prizes:

• First Place: Cash prize and team picture willbe placed in ASME display case.

• Best Design: gift card.• Most spirited: gift card.• Other prizes subject to judges’ whims.

Judging:Will include at least one Mechanical

Engineering faculty member, at least one ASMEofficer, and at least one person affiliated with theart department for the aesthetics portion.

Still have questions? Contact ASME ChairShaylynn Allen: [email protected] or PublicRelations Chair for more information.

The teams that have done well in the pasthave done the following things:

1. Hit the target in the air.2. Hit the target multiple times – accuracy

and consistency.3. Used a binder to organize:

1. Design Process, including drawings – both rough and CAD.

2. Testing data, including tables and charts.

3. Build process, including photos.4. Define and delineate problems

and solutions during the fabrication.4. Team spirit (names, well painted,

finished look)The organizers of the event indicated there

might be further changes to this model of compe-tition, based on device. Slingshot-type devicesmay be judged separate from the mechanicaltype devices, offering a more narrow range ofcompetition.

A portfolio with handdrawings, AutoCAD or

other CAD drawings,pictures of the fabrica-tion, evidence of prob-

lem solving, testingdata, and improvements

to the machine basedon the data, all organ-

ized coherently are whatwill separate one team

from another.


machine based on the data, allorganized coherently are what willseparate one team from another.

Teachers and students alike haveenjoyed all aspects of this event,and the 2013 Pumpkin Chunkin’Event is sure to be fun. If you wouldlike to participate, please work withyour school, create a device, test it,and compete! The pictures includedare from this past year’s event. Formore information please contact:

• Jay Etnier at Sam Barlow HighSchool: [email protected]

• ASME Chair Shaylynn Allen: [email protected]

• ASME Public Relations Chair formore information:https://sites.google.com/site/osuasmestudentsection/wel-come-announcements/pump-kinchunkin2010

Jay Etnier is a Career and TechnologyEducation instructor at Sam Barlow HighSchool and the 2010 recipient of the OregonBuilding Congress Vocational Educator of theYear award.


Two years ago, the staff at ACEAcademy set their sights on Phase Two:connecting current curriculum to postsec-ondary experiences. ACE Academy is anindustry-powered machine, and our stu-dents needed “that final push.” I like tosay, we have given our students theopportunity to get out of bed early the dayafter graduation. “Whether it be a two- orfour-year college experience or directentry into a training center or into the jobmarket, we wanted our students to be ontheir way.”

With the support of our industry part-ners and training centers, we have ignitedour mission. This year Ace Academy isproud to offer students 18 industry-ledSenior Capstone projects. Each project is

thoughtful, pre-planned and comes with amentor. Each mentor is a trained industryprofessional, eager to work with studentswho are ready and willing to go that extrastep for opportunity. The architecturefield, this year, made great headway inproviding multiple opportunities throughSoderstrom Architects and SERAArchitects. On the construction side, thePacific Northwest Carpenters Institute(PNCI) hammered out curriculum andexpectations for three Capstone projectsmentored by their training staff. P & CConstruction, Turner Construction, andHoffman Construction facilitated a total ofsix Capstone projects in construction andengineering. Portland General Electricblew a fuse after meeting the twomentees that would work on projects inthe engineering field. The city of Greshamchallenged four of our students in thearea of permitting, inspection, and facili-

tating state-funded programs.There has been a surprise in this jour-

ney — those kinds of surprises whichoften come from good-old collaborativeteamwork. The surprise was a gift fromour industry partners of summer jobs,training, and paid and non-paid intern-ships. Our industry partners are respond-ing to the struggles in public education byremoving barriers within their own compa-nies, which have in the past prevented ouryouth from exploring careers and prepar-ing for the work force.

ACE Academy will strive to provide 50Capstone options for our students whichwill include post-secondary experiences,through our work with the industry part-ners. We will cross our fingers that, overtime, the exposure of students throughtheir Capstones will enable them to learnwhat I like to call the extras.

Mike Bryant is director of the ACE Academy.

ACE Academy, industry partners team to offer variety of Capstone projects

An ACE Academy student works on his Capstone project with an industry mentor.

BY MIKE BRYANTACE ACADEMY

Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. is now

accepting applications for our

2013 Building Girls Summer Camps!

Southern Oregon Camp:

North Portland Camp:

2013 Building Girls Summer Construction Camp

A Fun Day Camp for Girls in Portland, Oregon

www.tradeswomen.net

mp for Girls in Paay Cun DA FFuSummer Construction Camp

2013 Building Girls

regon, Ondd,tlaormp for Girls in PSummer Construction Camp

2013 Building Girls

tioaepting appliccac

omen, IadeswrTegon rO

or ourons fo

w . is noncomen, I

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www.tradeswomen.net



It is a wonder that few high school stu-dents and their parents know about theopportunities that apprenticeship affords,with an 85 percent graduation rate com-pared to 30 percent of colleges, and a fullscholarship for training that will land youin an exciting and rewarding career theday you begin your apprenticeship. TheNECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center hasset out to connect high school studentsas well as their teachers and counselorswith the information that they may belacking when decisions about post highschool pathways emerge.

Apprenticeship is an ancient form ofpassing knowledge, attitude, and skillsabout a trade from one generation to thenext. The NECA-IBEW Electrical TrainingCenter is serious about workforce devel-opment, and ensuring that the tool beltsthat are left empty with upcoming retire-ments are filled once again with brightand motivated craftspeople. HiringJourneyman Inside Electrician BridgetQuinn as a full-time Workforce Develop-ment Coordinator is one step forward toensure that the National ElectricalContractors Association does not suffer aworkforce shortage, and that the buildingsand remodels of the future have thecraftspeople to complete them.

Picture the traditional career fair daywith a booth of info and a mass of disin-terested teens. Now imagine a classroomof teens using basic electrician’s handtools to wire a circuit, which is then ener-gized to show the satisfying fruits of theireffort and skills. Grins, high-fives, and pic-tures of a glowing light bulb are quicklyuploaded to their Facebook pages. A morehands-on approach, which allows them totry out the trade, has shown to be veryeffective at capturing a teenager’s atten-tion. More often than not, questions

about how to apply for the apprenticeshipsuddenly emerge at a greater numberthan earlier in the workshop before thehands-on part started.

There is no question that the tangibleresults of physical work are immenselysatisfying; this is why a hands-onapproach versus a lecture approach tooutreach is so important. The NECA-IBEWElectrical Training Center offers that expe-rience. ACE Academy and ReynoldsLearning Academy send their constructionstudents to the training center for a fullweek of classes ranging from electricaltheory to circuit wiring, conduit bending,and welding. Annually the training centerhosts and participates in OregonTradeswomen Inc.’s Women in TradesCareer Fair, which is a cornucopia of work-

shops offered to middle school and highschool girls so they can see what optionsare out there and try out different trades.The NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Centerattends career fairs as well, but focusesmainly on those that allow for a workshopand time to connect students with thereal picture of the electrical trade.

The NECA-IBEW Electrical TrainingCenter is proud to build our workforcewith talent, while connecting high schoolstudents with a career path that offersgood wages, IBEW union support andpride, and some of the best retirementand health care packages out there.

Bridget Quinn is the Workforce DevelopmentCoordinator and journey worker electrician at theNECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center in Portland.You may contact her at 503-501-5069 or [email protected].

Sparking EducationNECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center promotes apprenticeship

A hands-on approach, which allows students to try out the trade, has shown to be very effective atcapturing a teenager’s attention. Questions on how to apply for apprenticeship increase following thehands-on portion of a workshop.

BY BRIDGET QUINNAPPRENTICESHIP


Have you ever wondered what it mightbe like to work as an electrician, carpen-ter, heavy equipment operator, or inanother trade? Have you ever wanted tofeel the power of running a jackhammer?Perhaps you have wondered about yourcareer options as part of the “green econ-omy” and how to do your part in the fightagainst global warming.

Oregon Tradeswomen Inc. (OTI) startedthe Women in Trades Career Fair 21 yearsago with the mission of creating an excit-ing, interactive event specifically for girlsand women to explore non-traditionalcareer options in a fun, safe, and positivesetting. “Every year I am reminded abouthow important it is for girls to have theopportunity to try their hand at differentactivities and to talk with women role-models who are actively working in tradescareers,” said Connie Ashbrook, OTI’sexecutive director and one of the fouroriginal tradeswomen who founded thenon-profit organization. “It not only intro-duces young women to careers they maynever have considered, but it helps themrealize that these rewarding careers aretruly a possibility for them, too.”

Over the past 21 years, the Fair hasgrown from a one-day event into three fulldays of unique offerings to connect aspir-ing tradeswomen with opportunities foradditional training, apprenticeship, entrylevel employment, and careers. Schoolsfrom all over Oregon and SouthwestWashington take groups of girls to experi-

ence this incredible event – some schoolstravel for hours and bring groups of stu-dents every year!

“The Fair is a labor of love for all theapprenticeship programs and employerswho present the workshops, as they seekto reach out to the women and girls whoattend,” Ashbrook added. Indeed, it is theinteractive, hands-on workshops thatmake the Fair such a fun, energetic, andeducational event for the young womenwho attend.

To give a clearer picture of the varietyof activities offered at the Fair, there willbe nearly 40 different workshops offeredin 2013, including running a jackhammer,operating heavy equipment, welding, sol-dering copper, climbing a utility pole,wiring a light and switch, riding up in a187-foot bucket truck, climbing a 110-footfire ladder, building projects to take homesuch as bird feeders, step stools, pictureframes, chalk boards, tool boxes, and con-crete stepping stones, plus opportunities

BY MARY ANN NAYLOR PHOTOS BY DAWN JONESCAREERS

Three days of education, inspiration, opportunityfor the next generation of tradeswomen

z

Middle SchoolGirls’ DayThursday, May 16(Schools must pre-register)

High School Girls’ DayFriday, May 17(Schools must pre-register)

Careers For Women DaySaturday, May 18(Free and open to the public.No pre-registration required)


to learn about environmentally friendlyeco-roofs, solar and wind power, automo-bile mechanics, and so much more!

Exhibit BoothsAs a strong complement to the many

diverse workshop offerings at the Fair, arethe dozens of companies, community col-leges, government agencies, apprentice-ship training centers, and other organiza-tions who exhibit at the Fair on Friday andSaturday to reach out and connect withwomen interested in learning more aboutthe industry and pursuing a career.

In fact, there are more than 70exhibitors at the Fair each year, offering anextraordinary opportunity for high schoolseniors to discover a variety of careeroptions available in the trades after theygraduate. The representatives at the exhib-it tables are excited to talk about how toget started in their industry and offer a lotof helpful information at their booths forpeople to take with them. One job seekerat the 2012 Women in Trades Career Fairtold us, “Thank you for an awesome day! Iliked that you showed me I can have a newcareer without having to go to college!”

Work-Wear Fashion ShowOne of the most popular activities at the

Fair is the work-wear fashion show – afashion show for tradeswomen! One byone, tradeswomen come out on the run-way wearing their tool belts, the clothesthey typically wear on the job, and carryingany specialty tools specific to their trade.The tradeswomen – whether they are lineworkers, plumbers, carpenters or sheetmetal workers – talk about the tools andgear they use in their trade and what atypical day on the job is like for them.

There are a lot of surprised faces in theaudience after the tradeswomen explaintheir apprenticeship process and talkabout how much money they made whenthey first started out as an apprentice —and how much they expect to earn whenthey turn out as a journey level worker.Most of the young women are excited andvery interested to learn that tradescareers start at $12 to $15 per hour andwith wage increases, these jobs can earnup to $20 to $35 per hour – or even

more, PLUS benefits!

Careers for Women DayWhile the first two days of the fair are

reserved for school age girls, the third dayof the Fair is open to the public, and free!There are dozens of workshops onSaturday – some are drop in and othersare offered at specific times throughoutthe day. If you aren’t able to be at the Fairwith your school on Thursday or Friday, orif you want to come back and participatein more activities, you are invited to comewith friends and family on Saturday, May18 – Careers for Women Day! Exhibitorsare there on Saturday, too, makingCareers for Women Day a valuableresource for women seeking a new careeror high school graduates and seniorslooking at options for their futures.

OTI makes it as easy as possible for youto attend the Fair on Saturday, too. Thereis FREE transportation on EcoShuttlestarting from the Gateway Transit Centerto the Fair and back starting at 8:45 a.m.on Saturday, May 18, and returning toGateway every hour. (Please visitwww.tradeswomen.net/fair for the fullschedule). Attendance and parking arefree, and there is even free, onsite child-care. Everyone is welcome!

Dads & Daughters WorkshopThe Dads and Daughters workshop hap-

pens at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 18. Thisunique, hands-on workshop is a distinctpart of the Women in Trades Career Fairand is offered to engage active tradesworkers in encouraging their daughters’explorations of satisfying, living-wagecareers in the building, construction,mechanical utility, and highway tradesthrough hands-on trades-related activities.There will be small prizes to the first 20young women in attendance with their Dador other important adult in her life, too.

Photo BoothPortland Youth Build Media created this

photo booth opportunity for the first timein 2012 and it was wildly successful, withhundreds of people donning constructionwork wear, holding tools, and having pho-tos of themselves taken and superim-posed onto photos of construction work-

sites! We will have the photo booth at theFair again this year and hope you will par-ticipate in the fun on Saturday, May 18!

Pre-Apprenticeship Program When you’re at the Fair, we want to

invite you to stop and talk with us! One ofthe most active exhibit booths at the Fairis OTI’s information table where we offerinformation about our state-certifiedTrades and Apprenticeship Career Class -a FREE pre-apprenticeship program forwomen only to help them explore, preparefor, and find successful and rewardingcareers in the building, construction,mechanical, highway, and utility trades.The seven-week class includes classroomlearning, hands-on experience, tradesmath and measurement, visits to appren-ticeship training centers, and evenstrength training with a fitness trainer.After graduation, OTI’s career counselorswill help you enter into a formal appren-ticeship program or find entry-level work.

Summer Camps, Work CrewYou can also learn about OTI’s Building

Girls Summer Camps for high school andmiddle school girls, offered this year inJuly for only $25 per week. During camp,girls learn to weld, tile, frame, use sawsand much more, while having fun withfriends! We will also have informationabout paid, on-the-job training offeredonce a year by OTI for 17- to 24-year-oldgirls, called the Building Girls Work Crew.

If you are interested in learning moreabout any of these programs, or interest-ed in exploring trades career options,please come visit us on Saturday, May 18,at the 21st Annual Women in TradesCareer Fair. The Fair is graciously hostedby NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Centerlocated at 16021 N.E. Airport Way,Portland OR, 97230. For a full list of allthe activities on Saturday, please visitOTI’s Web site at www.tradeswomen.net/fair.

We hope to see you at the Fair!

Mary Ann Naylor is public relations specialist withOregon Tradeswomen Inc. For more information, call503-335-8200 ext. 21, [email protected] or go towww.tradeswomen.net/fair. OTI also is on Facebook:www.facebook.com/OregonTradeswomenInc

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Building Futures Spring/Summer 2013 - Daily Journal of ...djcoregon.com/wp-files/buildingfutures/bfspringsummer2013.pdf · SPRING/SUMMER 2013// BUILDING FUTURES 5 Career Technical