Page 14 - TTWIWinter2024V2

STEM / Engineering
Page 14 Electronic Edition: www.teachingtodaywi.com

A Focus on Creating Student Achievement at Kaukauna High School

The focus always has been on creating
student achievement. Kaukauna has taken
great pride in matching a student’s technical
talents with their employers, who further
develop their skills. Kaukauna has seen a
92% success rate with Youth Apprentice-
ship students staying with their employer
after graduation.
The rigorous classroom content has
directly impacted the Youth Apprentice-
ship numbers by maintaining a consistent
number of student applicants for local
businesses. Working with local business
that have been involved with the Youth
Apprenticeship program allows the TAE
instructors to stay up-to-date with industry
standards. Students succeeding in the work
place, has strengthened the relationship
with local businesses, providing instructors
with valuable insight, donations, and sup-
plies that expand projects to enhance the
curriculum.
Craig Sackmann because of its reputation and demand
Technology and Engineering Instructor from area businesses, the Technology &
Kaukauna High School Engineering classes offered to students
Kaukauna high School’s Technol- have become an important part of the
ogy & Engineering Department has seen culture at KhS.
strong student enrollment over the years. Part of the success of the program has
Kaukauna high School houses 1280 ninth been the lab-based projects that are tied to
through twelfth grade students; 459 of them real life applications, giving students solid
are currently enrolled in a technology edu- fundamental skills. The STEM model has
cation class. been department’s philosophy, offering stu-
The high school offers 28 different TAE dents high-quality instruction that allow
courses, 13 of those are technical college students the greatest chances for success.
dual-credit courses. Kaukauna offers entry- This model empowers students to be suc-
level TAE courses that allow students to cessful post-graduation in that it holds
explore technology concepts and build to students accountable for understanding the
lab-based, skill-specific courses. content. The curriculum exposes students
Five full-time instructors offer courses to content-related literacy and math in
in Automotive, Woodworking, Machining, every course.
Welding, AutoCAD, Electronics, and Engi- Youth Apprenticeship numbers this
neering Principles. The variety of courses year are 41 placements specific to TAE, and
are 1 or 2 trimesters in length, allowing stu- 33 additional CTE students for the district.
dents to explore the different pathways. All Youth Apprenticeship students are cur-
rently taking at least one dual-credit course.
to round out their education. The Technol-
KhS’s TAE department has a seen a ogy & Engineering numbers have prospered
number of upgrades to their labs to offer because of the support from administration
state-of-the-art facilities. Some of the and the local community who understand
upgrades including digital read out lathes, the value of technology education and the
as well as haas and Mazak Vertical CNC role it plays for the Kaukauna Area School
machines in the Machining lab. SawStop District.
table saws, a CNC, and laser engraver are
high tech additions in the Woodworking
lab. Automotive has added a digital tire
changer & balancer and top of the
line vehicle hoists. Welding has added the kaukauna.k12.wi.us
latest multi-process light industrial welding
machines. Teaching the students to use the
equipment gives them the hands-on learn-
ing that gives them an advantage entering
the work force.
both individual and small group proj-
ects give the students a balanced approach
in problem solving. While the emphasis is
for students to engage in lab projects, stu-
dents are also offered lessons on soft skills