Page 10 - TTWISpring2021

Manufacturing
page 10 | Manufacturing today Wi | spring 2021, Volume 1 electronic edition: www.manufacturingtodaywi.com

Cardinal Manufacturing

Cardinal Manufacturing began in the In-school programs such as Cardinal
Eleva-Strum School District during the 2007– Manufacturing serve as a grassroots economic
2008 academic year when instructor, Craig development effort. Not only do these pro-
Cegielski, approached the School Board about grams expose students to career opportunities
the potential of pursuing an in-school manu- in manufacturing and teach students soft skills
facturing business similar to one he started for future employment, but they also work
in his prior position in the school district of toward changing the attitudes of counselors
Antigo, WI. and parents to be more open to the idea of
The school board approved and since that encouraging students to look at manufacturing
time Cardinal Manufacturing has gone from careers. Students get hands on opportunities
its infant stages to a company with signifi- to try out these roles before making an expen-
cant annual sales and national notoriety. The sive decision in choosing a post-secondary
growth of the program has attracted national program. In other words, kids get the chance
and international attention and Cardinal Man- to try welding, machining, construction,
ufacturing has attended national tradeshows production management, accounting, office
and hosted celebrity guests. management, and marketing prior to commit-
Cardinal Manufacturing has served hun- ting to a major or area of study. The services
dreds of customers from private individuals to provided through the program are worthwhile
The Cardinal Manufacturing class enjoying our COVID-19 friendly classroom
clients throughout the state of Wisconsin and and valuable to the customers who pay for
Cardinal Manufacturing is a student-run School District of Eleva Strum other parts of the country. A number of students the service. Since the very beginning, Car-
business running out of Eleva-Strum where Instructors: Craig Cegielski, Tyson Rohrs- have gone directly to skilled employment posi- dinal Manufacturing has been self-sufficient
students get to gain firsthand experience on cheib, & Talli Berger tions after high school, but most choose to go meaning that they have not ever requested a
manufacturing, fabrication, welding, and on to post-secondary education through techni- special budget from the school district.
running a business! cal college or the university system.

spring 2021 news from Cardinal Manufacturing a new project on an old Car

CoViD-19 Doesn’t Hold us Back! Community members, Ralph and local Broiler Festival parade, take it to the
Despite the recent challenges from COVID- Ann Kisor just donated this awesome 1930 Strum Car Show, and take Ralph and Ann
19, Eleva-Strum students are back in school with Model A car. We are very grateful for this for a ride. We have already had many stu-
some precautions. Students wear masks, remain donation and have already begun the plan- dents, parents, and community members
socially distant, and desks and other frequently ning phase on finishing the car. Ralph has express interest in helping us with this car
touched items are sanitized after each use. Cardi- already put many hours of work into the restoration project. We are extremely fortu-
nal Manufacturing students remain positive and project, but we still have much more to do. nate to have such a supportive community,
continue to work. Each welder now gets their This will be a fun learning opportunity for and we look forward to getting this car back
own equipment to prevent cross contamination. students at Cardinal Manufacturing! When on the road.
Machines and other items are also sprayed down white as well. In order to combat COVID-19, finished, we hope to drive the car in the
after each use. Although the masks and other a new shelving unit was added along with a
precautions make school more challenging, stu- makeshift classroom. The shelving unit allows
dents in Cardinal Manufacturing and other tech for students to keep their items in separate bins
ed. classes are just happy to be learning hands-on away from others. Our current classrooms are
rather than at home!
too small to remain socially distant, so we had
a newly improved shop to improvise with a new classroom in the shop.
In the office, students get to enjoy the new iMac
computers. This allows for easy communication,
editing, and other work that needs to be done on
the business side of Cardinal Manufacturing.
sixth graders in action!
This year, the sixth-grade class got the
opportunity to take a tech ed. class. This allows
the students to explore technical education and
the potential classes they could take in high
school. They gain experience by doing simple
projects such as assembly welding and grinding
Recently, the Eleva-Strum shop has gotten a metal airplane.
some renovations thanks to the generosity of
Ron Wanek of a nearby furniture manufacturer. Cardinal Manufacturing Workshop
7 large windows and a glass door were added to Recently, Cardinal Manufacturing held a partners and community support. Students in the
the shop in order to bring in some light. New tin workshop that allowed other schools to learn program get to learn important technical skill all cardinalmanufacturing.org
was also added on the outside and the inside of more about starting a student run business. The while learning valuable employability skills. If
the shop. All of the walls and the ceiling have workshop attendees learn from instructors, stu- you’re interested in learning more about a work- (715) 695-2696 x314
been painted as well. The shop has a theme of dents, industry partners, and administration shop please contact us!
white and red—the white allows for the area about the ins and outs of creating this program. Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.
to be brighter and the red shows off our school Cardinal Manufacturing has had great success com/CardinalManufacturing
colors. The machines will eventually be painted since beginning in 2008 because of our industry Email: cegielskic@esschools.k12.us.wi