Gift to school is cut above

COLDWATER - Building contractor Joe Rose admits he balked at an invitation to lend a helping hand to Coldwater Middle School's robotics programs aligned with the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics curriculum.

"Robots have nothing to do with my trade," he said. "I don't feel it's going to help me at all."

But the owner of Rose Construction & Electric Inc. warmed up to the idea of contributing to STEM when asked to rally business leaders to purchase a 3-D carving computer numerical control machine for middle school STEM teacher Maggie Rismiller's classroom.

"I like this idea better just for the fact it does have a little creativity toward our business," he said.

Rose was intrigued by the machine's ability to spark creativity in young boys and girls and allow them to construct objects with wood.

But he wasn't able to get enough of his colleagues on board to buy the engraver.

So Rose stepped up and covered the entire cost.

"She needed it," he said about the engraver. "I would love to see a whole room of machines for her to work with these kids, develop those leadership skills and the hands-on skills."

Rismiller teaches STEM-based education to students in grades 5-8. The new machine will complement her classroom's 3-D printer to further enhance non-traditional learning, especially in her seventh-grade design and building class where students study how to build things and develop prototypes to solve problems.

"Just being able to think outside the box," Rismiller said about the engraver that arrived last Friday, to the students' surprise and delight. "They didn't know what this was until a week ago. They didn't even know there was such a tool."

The engraver is capable of turning software-aided designs into products made of wood, metal and plastic.

"It's not just in this class. We're trying it in the middle school to get this kind of stuff in all of the classes," she said. "Instead of saying, 'hey kids, I want everybody to make the same boring Powerpoint,' and everybody's will look the same - we're trying to move away from that."

Ideally, Rismiller would like to see students undertake projects that express in depth their understanding of any given topic.

"Make anything you want. That's what we're really trying to get to because how much do you really learn if everybody makes the same presentation about the same thing?" she said. "Figure out what you like to do."

Rose said all people are different with their hands.

"We all learn differently too," he said. "Stuff like this is really great. Tri Star is really great. 4-H is really great because now the kids can excel what they're interest in and take it from there."

Rismiller also noted the machine will be used in numerous ways by middle school students.

"We're looking at adding an architecture class," Rismiller said. "This will come in really handy."

Rose got his first taste of the STEM curriculum last year when he was asked to judge student designs for a shelving project. He then built the units, which are used to this day to organize sports bags and equipments, based on the winning design.

"Every trimester we do a project with a local business," Rismiller said. "Joe jumped on board for last winter's project and the kids … had to design an idea."  

Rose said he was taken aback by not only the quality of the design but also by the way the students addressed an adult from outside the school.

"I was very surprised because they have to present to you, they have to come up with pamphlets and sell it to you," he said. "You could see the leadership come out of them. They stepped up. It got me excited because I was like, 'wow, I don't know if I could have done this myself years ago.' "

Rose, who pointed out that everyone on his construction crew came through Tri Star Career Compact, said he hopes other business leaders decide to contribute to STEM and Tri Star.

"This is what kids get excited about," he said.

Tri Star officials seek ideas:

Tri Star Career Compact officials invite community members to share ideas about future programs, local employment needs and how the program can expand career technology education for youth and adults.

Two sessions are set for Tuesday at 9 a.m. in the Celina High School lecture hall and 6:30 p.m. at the St. Marys Memorial High School auditorium.

Officials will give an update on the new Tri Star 2.0 building project as well as a 3-D virtual tour and briefly outline programs and opportunities for both students and adults.