Technically Speaking March 2010

Calendar TEC news Welcome to Technically Speaking April 2–9 Spring break Our Open House last month was successful in a number of ways, including the fact that we got several new e-mail addresses for parents of potential TEC students. For those of you May 31 who are receiving this newsletter for the first time, I’d like to welcome you as a Technically Memorial Day Speaking subscriber. You’ll learn about different programs each month, read stories about our students’ many achievements and find out what TEC graduates are up to. You’ll also see articles on our students’ extracurricular involvement in clubs and competitions like SkillsUSA, Business Professionals of America, Ford AAA, Health Occupations of America and the Michigan Industrial Technical Education Society. Basically, we’ll keep you informed about all of the good things happening here at TEC. Thanks again for giving us the opportunity to do so. Open House lets students find out if TEC is right for them More than 1,400 people attended the TEC Open House on Feb. 4 to tour the building and find out what TEC has to offer. Students in grades 8–10 and their parents visited to learn about TEC programs and meet instructors. Information was provided on how TEC students can gain technical, leadership and employability skills. Students also discovered how they can earn both high school and college credit through TEC. To talk personally with a TEC counselor or to get more information, call 455-4210. To see more photos of the open house, visit the TEC website.

Austin Bryant, Construction I (above); Chelsea Fox, The Technical Education Center Welding (far left); and (TEC) is operated by the St. Clair Britney McKiernan, County Regional Educational Digital Media (left) Service Agency. represent their program areas during the Open The Technical Education Center House. (TEC)Dan DeGrow, is operated Superintendent by the St. Clair PatCounty Yanik, RegionalDirector ofEducational Career and TechnicalService EducationAgency.

St. Clair County TEC | 499 Range Road, Marysville, MI 48040 | (810) 455-1010 | www.sccresa.org Technically Speaking March 2010 | Page 2

Health Careers students put their skills to the test Students in TEC’s chapter of Michigan Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) displayed their healthcare expertise at the regional HOSA competition at Macomb County Community College on Jan. 30. Eight TEC Health Academy students competed alongside more than 400 students from 18 high schools and career and technical education centers in St. Clair, Macomb and Oakland counties. Carissa Boucher, Maria Harvey and Danielle Lipa earned medals, while Brittany Beaudin, Alicia Meldrum, Tasha Potvin and Emily Van Tiem finished as finalists (top 10) in their program areas, which included health education, home health aid, nursing assistant, nutrition and pharmacology. Finalists will participate in the HOSA state conference in Traverse City in April. Also participating Medal winners L-R: Carissa Boucher, Danielle Lipa in the competition was Lacey Carrow. Students were accompanied by and Maria Harvey HOSA advisor Deborah Biga, a Health Careers instructor, as well as Beverly Walker, Candy Weston, and John and Judy Wunch. Click here for more information on the Health Careers program.

TEC TV show in the works Technically Speaking readers wishing to go even further behind the scenes at TEC can now find additional information on RESA’s latest TV program, Technically Speaking. The show will air monthly on Comcast cable channels 12 and 900. It also will be available on demand on the RESA website. Terry Harrington of RESA’s Education Technology Office will host the show, which will feature interviews with students, teachers and graduates, and will be shot on-site. Energy Technologies & Services will be the first program featured on the show, which is set to air this month.

Where are they now? Former student uses electronics knowledge while serving his country As a retired U.S. Air Force Captain and current U.S. Army employee, Jim Muldoon said the skills he’s accumulated throughout his career “fundamentally started at TEC.” Muldoon, an Avoca resident and Yale Public Schools Board of Education trustee, received certification in electronics in 1984 here at St. Clair TEC. Upon graduation, Muldoon joined the Air Force, where he trained at its community college, as well as at bases in places like Colorado, New Mexico and England. Among his duties were working with radar detecting receivers and jammers, training other airmen, repairing test stations and overseeing quality management. Upon receiving a full active duty scholarship, he earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Texas Tech University in 2000. Muldoon progressed through a variety of electrical engineering assignments and eventually achieved the rank of captain. After 23 years in the Air Force, Muldoon retired in 2007 and became a civilian employee for the U.S. Army. He is now the Technology Director for PEO Ground Combat Systems at the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) in Warren, Mich. There, he investigates and coordinates systems engineering, and performs research and development for the Army’s ground combat vehicle platforms. Muldoon lives in Avoca with his wife, Tracey, and two children, Lexie and J.P. When asked what advice he would give TEC students, Muldoon said he would tell them to be clear in what they want in life and use TEC as an opportunity to “lay the foundation for what it is they aim to do.” “I’ve built my successes upon the skills I initially learned at TEC,” Muldoon said. Technically Speaking March 2010 | Page 3

(L-R): Fred Cole competed in the masonry category; Jennifer Maxwell and Chris Swiderski in welding; and Trevor Nichols in residential plumbing. State contest next stop for TEC SkillsUSA participants Nearly 70 TEC students participated in the annual SkillsUSA Region 2 East competition over three weekends in February and March. Students competed against their peers from school districts in St. Clair, Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties in areas such as job interview, job skills demonstration, cosmetology, automotive, information technology, (L-R): Olivya Lehman,cosmetology–mannequin, Joi Price, job interview, and Shelby metal machining, mechatronics and Fleming, cosmetology, will all participate in the state competition. welding. The contests were held in schools and technical education centers throughout the area. Craig Richards, TEC’s student-to-work coordinator, said 54 students placed well enough to qualify for the SkillsUSA State Conference, which is April 16–18 in Lansing. SkillsUSA is the national organization for students, instructors and business partners in career and technical education.

TEC Video Connection Looking for more news? Many happenings at TEC are documented on video and available for viewing on the TEC website. Click here to download videos. Technically Speaking March 2010 | Page 4

DMT student designs winning film festival logo The skills of Digital Media Technology student Michael Tyler will be displayed throughout Port Huron when the 2nd annual Blue Water Film Festival takes place in October. Tyler, a Marine City High School senior, was chosen as the winner of the festival’s Bridge Art Contest. Tyler’s artwork will establish the branding identity for the film festival and will be featured on all festival marketing and promotional materials, including t-shirts, posters and programs. All students in Keely Baribeau’s afternoon DMT class submitted entries to the contest, which was open to anyone in Michigan and Ontario’s Lambton County. The artwork of all applicants is on exhibit at various downtown Port Huron locations including the Black River Café, Great Bakes Station, Quay Street Brewing Co, Powers Diner and YMCA. Baribeau said she’s thrilled for Tyler, who was recently admitted to the Illinois Institute of Art–Schaumburg, as well as for the rest of the class. “I think their designs are a great tribute to their hard work and artistic promise,” she said. Click here for more information on the Digital Media Technology program.

Robotics team earns rookie award The Tachyon TECs robotics team came away from its first-ever event in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics competition with an award reserved for contest newcomers. The team is comprised of students Tyler Semos, Robotics & Mechatronics, and Alex Fladzinski, Energy Technologies & Services, as well as TEC instructors Robert Timmerman, Dave Lawrence and Duane Emig and instructional technician Dale Strittmatter. With the help of Chad Miller, RESA network technician, Kim Marquette, Capac High School senior, and John Antilla, leader of Capac’s Metal and Soul robotics team, the Tachyon TECs spent (L-R): Semos, Fladzinski, Emig and six weeks brainstorming, sketching, designing, (L-R): Fladzinski, Strittmatter and Timmerman work on the team’s building and programming its robot. The first Semos get ready for competition events at robot at TEC. competition was March 5 and 6 at Kettering Kettering University. University in Flint. The team’s robot made it through all 12 matches, helping members earn the Rookie Inspiration Award, as well as awards from two other schools’ teams. FIRST provides programs that motivate young people to pursue science, technology, engineering and math.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH The wisest mind has something yet to learn. – George Santayana

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