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STEM
        Page 4                                                                                                 Electronic Edition: www.teachingtodaywi.com


                     Cameron High School, Old School Standards in the 21st Century

                                                                                a $100 check and an A for the course. I take   take it to that level.”
                                                                                a  hands-off  approach  to  the  final  design   One of the other courses offered in the
                                                                                project,” Cornell said. “At this point in their   CHS  Tech Ed curriculum  is  Architectural
                                                                                design training, I think it’s detrimental for a   Design. “I had a similar  course a long time
                                                                                teacher to start giving too much input. This is   ago as part of my tech school experience in
                                                                                a design competition between them, I stay out   Building Construction,” Cornell said. To add
                                                                                of it.”                            authenticity  to this  course, Cornell  has the
                                                                                   “I’ve seen students run with this over   students do a career search and calculate  an
                                                                                the years,” said Cornell. “I keep in touch with   estimated  annual salary. Students also look
                                                                                former  students  who now are  Mechanical   at  lending  rates  and  from  there  they  figure
                                                                                Engineers, Production Managers, Drafters and   maximum square foot allowances based on the
                                                                                even one who is a legit Rocket Scientist.” It’s   current  per  square  foot  building  costs.  “The
                                                                                rewarding to say the least to see these “kids”   kids are always stunned by the cost of mate-













        Cameron HS students using flight simulator to complete real time flights
        Technology Education Department     criteria for a real or fictitious company. Stu-
        School District of Cameron          dents begin  by forming  a design agency,
            Cameron High School Technology Edu-  requiring  them  to submit a company  name
        cation Department is best described as diverse.   and logo. From there they go through a Q/A
        Tech Ed instructor Jay Cornell has brought a   stage with the company to get specifics about
        lifetime of experience to a small but progres-  design criteria,  material  requirements  and
        sive school.                        product use.  The teams  are asked to submit
            The Drafting and Design curriculum  is   a  proposal,  preliminary  sketches  and  finally,
        a  highlight  of  the  program.  Cornell  utilizes   a  working  and  presentation  drawing. A  3-D
        Autocad  and  Solidworks to  apply  modern   print may also be required. The design teams
        design software and techniques to real-world   then present their ideas to a panel made up of
        applications.  The 2-level mechanical  design   adults from business and industry who rank   Cameron HS students at their computers working on design projects
        program culminates in a design contract com-  the design presentations based on criteria met,              rials and labor. It gives them a taste of what
        petition between students.          overall design appeal and presentation profes-  also  offers  Aviation  to   it takes to build and own a home. I also have
            Students are paired-up and given design   sionalism.                 CHS  its  students.  “Like  the   them do a print of a satellite  image  of their
                                                Cornell  rewards the winning team with   Mechanical Design course, I brought   proposed building site.” Students then spend
                                                                                 this from a previous school,” Cornell   the  trimester  using SoftPlan  to  design  and
                                                                                 said,  “I  try  to  make  this,  like  all  my   draw a set of house plans. Cornell uses local
                                                                                 courses,  career  based  and  as  real   resources including the local technical college
                                                                                 world  as  possible.”  The  course  is   and  a  former  student,  now project  manager,
                                                                                 divided  into  three  major  units.  The   to enhance student learning. “I tell the kids if
                                                                                 history, physics and parts of a plane.   they decide to pursue a career in the building
                                                                                     Aviation  history  includes  iconic   trades, design field, estimating, or any of the
                                                                                 planes, people and events that made   many  jobs required  to build  buildings,  this
                                                                                 aviation what it is today. Cornell takes   class will give them a good foundation. If not,
                                                                                 the  kids  to  the  Richard  Bong  War   at  least  it  will  help  them  better  understand
                                                                                 Memorial  in  Superior  as  part  of  the   what goes into the construction of their home
                                                                                 history unit to further study one of our   and make them an informed consumer.”
                                                                                 nation’s greatest war heroes.         Cornell,  who  is  in  his  34th  years  as  an
                                                                                     The  physics  of  flight  uses  a   educator  shares some concerns about the
                                                                                 college level text allowing students to   future. “I’d like to predict a bright future for
                                                                                 delve into what makes flight possible.   Tech Ed and education in general in Wiscon-
                                                                                     Finally,  Cornell  uses  X-plane  to   sin, but current  trends do not bear  this out.
                                                                                 do  real  time  flights  on  the  flight  sim   I’m hoping the district will be able to replace
                                                                                 program.  “I  try  to  make  this  part  as   me and other veteran teachers without losing
                                                                                 authentic  as  possible  as  well.  The   the quality or diversity in programming. The
                                                                                 kids  do  a  flight  plan  for  each  flight,   shortage of [Tech Ed] teachers is evident.”
                                                                                 call  in  weather  conditions  and  plot
                                                                                 the  course,  said  Cornell.  It’s  a  very
                                                                                 popular class, in part, because of its
                                                                                 uniqueness.”                        www.cameron.k12.wi.us
        Cameron HS Aviation students and instructor Jay Cornell on their annual trip to the Richard I
        Bong memorial and war Museum.
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