Page 1 - TTWIWinter2022-2023

Celebrating 25 Years

Winter 2022–23, Volume 1
TEACHING TRANSPORTATION

TODAY WI ™ TODAY WI

WISCONSIN’S 4K–12 EDUCATION CONNECTION SINCE 1997 YOUR WISCONSIN TRANSPORTATION CONNECTION

Wausau School District Honors Yes We Can! D.C. Everest

Community's Rich Timber Student Finding Success

History; Invests in Woodmizer in Apprenticeship

industry partners to make Michelle Rothmeyer,
sure students have access to Coordinator of
both rigorous and relevant Communications
opportunities — including in D.C. Everest Area
Wood Manufacturing. Wood School District
Manufacturing has been a Stephanie Stanke, a
staple of the department, in lifelong automotive enthu-
fact, there are several levels siast, opened Wooster’s
of woodworking instruc- Garage in 2017 becoming
tion available to high school one of very few female auto-
students in the district. That motive repair shop owners
instruction includes cabinet in the region. She grew up in
making and construction a family of auto enthusiasts/
framing. In addition, the auto shop owners, and in
Wausau School District high school enrolled in auto-
has a very well established motive courses. Upon graduating, she set out serving as a guest speaker who addresses what
Diana White Agriculture Education to learn everything she could about the indus- it’s like to work within a male-dominated field.
Coordinator of Communications & Marketing Department which, among other pathways, has try and the customers it serves, by working in When D.C. Everest Community Partner-
Wausau School District focused instruction related to natural resources, a wide variety of roles within the automotive ship Coordinator Rose Matthie met Harmony
Wausau, like many other towns in the conservation, forestry management, and devel- industry. In 2012 she rounded out her expe- Hommerding, a sophomore at D.C. Everest
northwoods of Wisconsin, owes its very exis- opment. riences by earning an associate's degree in Senior High with a marked interest in cars,
tence to the vast timber resources that surround Those departments provide excel- Automotive Technology. she immediately thought of Stephanie’s busi-
it. From its first incorporation in the mid 19th lent instruction in their own particular areas, What struck Stephanie during her years ness as an ideal Youth Apprenticeship partner.
century, wood and wood-related manufacturing however, there was never a coordinated link of working within the industry was the level Harmony’s interest in the automotive indus-
has been a large part of the economic and com- between forest management instruction and of trepidation customers felt concerning try was piqued by mutual friends who had
munity development of the Wausau area. These the wood manufacturing instruction. Upon the repairs and services completed on their a love of cars and the history behind the car
industries are still a major sector of the local recognizing this gap in instruction, a solution vehicles. She set out to change that when she culture. Similar to Stephanie, Harmony is
economy, but the image of a lumberjack heading presented itself in the form of the purchase of a established her own business. To bridge the pursuing her automotive interest by enroll-
into the woods with an ax has been replaced by portable sawmill to turn logs into lumber. gap between customers and technicians the ing in Automotive Technology career track
highly-efficient, technology-driven, automated In the spring of 2021, the Wausau School shop works diligently to make customers feel courses. She enrolled in Consumer Care Care
equipment that has revolutionized the industries District purchased a Woodmizer LT35 portable comfortable about what they are investing in as a sophomore and then Automotive Power
to allow them to remain competitive in a global sawmill. This trailer mounted bandsaw sawmill and driving — offering, for example, monthly Train Systems, Small Engines, and Introduc-
marketplace. can be towed to a school or job site and set up in auto clinics to help customers better under- tion to Welding and Machining for her junior
Knowing that this industry is so important a matter of minutes. Team members recognized stand their vehicles. She’s also working on a year. The DCE Senior High’s new six-bay
to the Wausau area, the Technology and Engi- the opportunity this new piece of equipment pre- book based on the insights she’s gained at her Automotive Lab has provided her with unique
neering Departments in the Wausau School customer auto clinics. Further, she serves as hands-on learning opportunities, but Harmony
District work very closely with local business and Continued on Page 6 a role model for other female entrepreneurs, Continued on Page 28

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