Fairfield Career Center Grads become Journeymen
Corna-Kokosing Construction Company Apprentices Graduate
Westerville, Ohio – September 22, 2009 – Six Fairfield Career Center graduates were honored this week as they completed various apprenticeship levels with Corna-Kokosing Construction Company. John Gaskill, Adam Miller, and Chase Wood all graduated the program as Journeyman Carpenters. Ryan Barber completed the third year of the program, and Jeremy Langley and Kyle Schrader received Incentive Awards for continuing employment with Corna-Kokosing for a year beyond earning their journeyman’s card.
From left to right: Robert Jones, Ryan Barber, Kyle Schrader, Chase Wood, John Gaskill, Jeremy Langley, Adam Miller, Dan LelandThis partnership began in the late 1990’s when the instructors, Robert Jones and Daniel Leland, looked to increase their business relationships to provide input into the Carpentry program. It is viewed as a successful partnership by both parties, and many students have benefited through the years from their participation in the carpentry programs School-to-Apprenticeship placement option.
2009 graduate Rachel Kruse designs LEED Platinum-certified building for New Albany High School through Eastland-Fairfield’s Architecture/Construction Management program.
More Than Just a Trophy
Lauren Thomas
Off in a corner in the New Albany High School library sits a small classroom that has seen enormous success. Few students at NAHS are aware of amazing resources through technology provided by funding from the Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical Schools.
Three students of one of these programs showed their skills February 2-4 at the 2009 S.T.E.M. Challenge. As an outreach of the National Robotics Challenge, ten Ohio high schools were invited to the Columbus Convention Center to compete in a three-day robotics challenge. New Albany freshmen Morgan Moroi, Jillian Rodney, and Michael Zhang attended the competition. While they did not win , they had a great time and learned a great deal.
Moroi, Rodney, and Zhang are all classmates of a select group of freshmen who set aside their study center to expand their knowledge of technology. Taught by David Herman, students spent months developing the skills necessary to compete at the S.T.E.M. Challenge.
Back in their Study Center, they are working on a new robot that can move, pick up objects, follow commands, and is affectionately called the “Bonecrusher” by New Albany teacher Eric Carmichael. First students were divided into one of three teams. The software team uses the program Mindstorms NXT-G, developed by Carnegie Mellon University, to devise a plan for the behaviors the robot must exhibit. Next, the build team assembles the robot after much trial and error. 
The class robot had to be rebuilt three times after lots of experimentation. Finally, the documentation team develops a step-by-step 3D guide that will allow others worldwide to build the same robot.
However, the robot made at New Albany was simply for practice. At the S.T.E.M. Challenge, students were given new software, a new kit, and a specific task to complete. The first day was reserved for the students to become familiar with the new software, and the second day was spent programming, in time for the third day’s competition. New Albany’s robot was capable of pushing blocks, lifting them, and stacking them into towers.
But the benefits of the robotics competition and class extend far beyond bragging rights. These freshmen recognize the opportunity they have for their future. Moroi observes that “robotics pulls math and science together with robotics and engineering to make one course.”
This is exactly the goal of project based learning at New Albany High School. Students often question how learning about Henry VIII and the periodic table are going to affect their future. Herman notes “there are connections between chemistry and English, and project based learning, such as robotics, which allow students to realize that it’s not just about getting a good grade, it’s about learning.”