Tech center shows off new equipment

COAL TOWNSHIP - The Northumberland County Career and Technology Center (NCCTC) on Tuesday showed off $50,000 in new equipment it has in place for the new school year.

That investment comes after the same amount was spent last year at the school, which serves students from Shamokin Area, Mount Carmel Area and Line Mountain.

"We want the people of Northumberland County to know that the board of education at the career center is in constant progress by making available the latest state-of-the-art equipment for the students to learn on," said Al Choman, administrator at the career center. "They see the future, and know we have to be prepared for it."

New welder and a Mac

The welding shop received two multi-purpose welders that at retail would cost approximately $15,000 a piece, plus a new ventilation system, a cold saw, lathe and milling machine.

"This is one of the most advanced welding shops in any vo-tech in the state," welding instructor Mike Bradley said. "We are trying to duplicate the industry the students will work in.

"The new ventilation system replaces every cubic foot of air every 12 minutes," he added.

The computer programming shop received a new server and a new iMac computer featuring a 27-inch screen.

"The Mac gets the students additional exposure to different operating systems and different types of hardware and software," said Debbie Dobson, computer programming instructor.

The new server makes file sharing easier for students, including transferring assignments electronically to Dobson instead of printing out hard copies to hand in, which Dobson says is better for the environment because it saves paper.

Greenhouse under way

One very visible change at the rear of the building is the construction of a greenhouse, for which a groundbreaking was held on July 12 with the presence of one of Gov. Ed Rendell's cabinet members, Secretary of Aging John Michael Hall.

The Nutritional Grant Greenhouse Project will allow senior citizens and students to work together to plant, grow and harvest produce, and construction, electrical and welding departments will assist in its maintenance.

The intergenerational project began with a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, funded by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, or "stimulus," to modernize nutrition services for senior action centers and home-delivered meal programs.

"The Department of Aging is keeping an eye on the project," said Ginny McNeil, funding facilitator at NCCTC. "If it works, they will be doing it across the state. It will be education for everybody, because it involves not only the seniors but the students, too. I think the hands-on will be priceless."

The greenhouse will include a restroom for the seniors, and a community classroom.

The tech center is also awaiting a grant that will fund the installation of solar panels on the greenhouse.

The culinary arts program also received some $20,000 in equipment as part of the greenhouse grant, including two induction burners, two professional waffle-makers and a warmer proof box for bread.

Cafeteria renovated

NCCTC has also renovated its cafeteria with a new sound system, drop ceiling and lighting grid with energy-saving bulbs.

The reason for the renovation is twofold: Creating a nicer venue for assemblies and graduation, and in preparation for the one-year, full-day, senior-only program in 2012-13, when students will again use the cafeteria for meals.

The center's operating board last fall approved the change from the current three-year, half-day program open to sophomores, juniors and seniors, and the transition is taking place over the next two school years. Mount Carmel Area (MCA) School District's representatives voted against the change, and eight of its students have since enrolled in classes at the Schuylkill Technology Center that aren't offered at NCCTC.

New programs coming

In addition to new equipment, the board has also approved institution of two new programs for the 2011-2012 school year: heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and drafting/CAD (computer-aided design). Once they are implemented, the two new programs, along with the culinary arts program, will provide the students with the opportunity to graduate with seven college credits toward Penn College of Technology or Luzerne County Community College (LCCC), Choman said.

"Until the teacher is hired, the occupational advisory committee made up of educators and members of the professional world that are considered experts in their field meet monthly to design, prepare and implement the new programs of study," Choman said.

Some of other new pieces of equipment include a smart bender for the electrical shop; an exam table, multi-media projector and interactive mannequin for the health occupation class; a laminator and visualizer for the occupational child care class; a diagnostic scan toll software package for the auto repair shop, and four universal transits for the carpentry shop. Purchased last year were a new bread oven for the culinary arts class, and a playground was constructed for the child care program.