Engineering students showcase career skills

Nine students from Central Kitsap High School’s SkillsUSA chapter visited the Silverdale Lowe’s on Tuesday to present their work to store managers. The presentation was part of the culmination of a grant provided by Lowe’s to the school.

SkillsUSA is a nonprofit organization that works with students, teachers and businesses around the world to build competitive career skills.

Lowe’s gave $1 million to SkillsUSA. Part of that donation went to chapters in local schools like Central Kitsap in the form of grants. CK received $11,000 from Lowe’s to further its own SkillsUSA program.

Jim Adamson, Central Kitsap’s SkillsUSA advisor, said they’ve been able to purchase three rolling carts full of tools, team’s display items and materials through the grant.

“A lot of the tools and material come out of my garage and my pocket,” Adamson said. “Let me tell you, this (grant) is a god-send.”

Central Kitsap has students participating in a number of SkillsUSA categories, such as aerospace manufacturing, computer repair and animation. But the groups presenting at Lowe’s were all part of the school’s engineering program.

Each of the three engineering groups spent the school year brainstorming, researching and designing an invention. That process, and the eventual outcome of the invention itself was what each group described to Lowe’s managers.

Kaitlyn Duarte, Krista Holden and Rachel Kagan highlighted two inventions, a lawn mower fertilizer attachment and collapsible fish stairs for salmon.

Larisa Brown, Maggie Cordray and Michael Vining showcased their reuse of kitchen items to create a coffee scented air-freshener.

Joshua Udell, Austin Rogers and Andrew Guertin described a multi-purpose tool that is both a nut driver and a nail gun.

Adamson is taking 30 students to the state competition in Renton April 11 through 13. He said he anticipates they’ll do quite well. Last year, he said, Central Kitsap won five different events and sent eight students to nationals.

 

Contact Central Kitsap Reporter Reporter Wes Morrow at wmorrow@soundpublishing.com.

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