SYRACUSE – Join the Wawasee Career and Technical Education program and the Wawasee Athletic Department as they celebrate the opening of the newly constructed Career Technical Area and Athletic wing, with an open house from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Feb. 24 at Wawasee High School.
The public will have an opportunity to visit and see students in action as they demonstrate their skills in the areas of agriculture, automobile services technology, building trades technology, business, family and consumer sciences and technology education.
Visitors have the option to complete a passport by getting stamps at each of the CTE/athletic program areas that will earn them free admission into the final home basketball game of Wawasee vs. Tippecanoe Valley at 6:15 p.m.
At 5:30 p.m., a building dedication ceremony will take place in the Warrior Room.
The open house is an opportunity to see the progress and programs that Wawasee High School is offering. The culinary arts department will provide refreshments and career instructors will be available for questions about the career programs and facility improvements.
Programs that can be visited include agriculture, Boomerang Backpack, technology education and the athletic wing.
In agriculture, the newly constructed greenhouse has been a big asset to Wawasee’s program. It has served its purpose by enhancing classroom learning not only with our plant curriculum, but animal science curriculum as well. Not only have students been able to conduct classroom laboratories and experiments, but also complete projects for our community. The greenhouse is also the home for a 300 gallon Aquaculture System that is being used to meet state standards for the Advanced Life Science Animals class.
The Engineering and Technology department has been enhanced by the new facilities recently constructed. This new facility provides enhanced learning opportunities for students through a broad range of offerings including “Project Lead The Way”, a pre-engineering curriculum. Additional course options include construction, manufacturing, CAD, architectural drafting and engineering design and development where students build a Supermileage vehicle for competition in Indianapolis, as well as Houston, Texas.
Along with the new facilities students can now learn how to use some great new equipment such as: Laser Engraver, Plasma Cutter, CNC Lathe and Mill, Saw Stop tablesaw, helical head planers, jointers and drum sanders.
A growing trend in both Wawasee’s athletic and physical education programs has been the increased emphasis on strength improvement by all athletes and growing enrollment in weight training courses. While a weight room was a part of a 1978 annex addition, the recent need for additional space and equipment was apparent. The new weight room is about 1,080 square feet larger than the old facility.
Space to house teams has likewise been a concern at WHS, and so a large boys’ locker room is also part of the new addition.
For more information, contact the Wawasee Area Career and Technical Education Cooperative office at 574-457-3188, Ext. 209, or visit www.wawaseecareers.com
