Cardinal Manufacturing Appreciation Night brings crowd

by Dana Serum 

On Thursday, April 9, the rain didn’t stop more than 200 people from attending the Cardinal Manufacturing Appreciation Night held in the Eleva-Strum High School auditorium. 

Upon entering the building, attendees could put their name in for two raffles that night, a  grill created by the Cardinal Manufacturing students, and a Cardinals themed cutting board made by The Trophy House in Strum, provided through Cardinal Catering.  While waiting in line, people could watch a slide show of the 2014 open house event and the day of filming of the episode on “Titan American Built” which took place at the school March 9. Along with a variety of items the program has created, A MakerBot 3D printer was on display, which Titan America and Autodesk gifted to the Cardinal Manufacturing program. 

Before the viewing of the “Titan American Built” episode, which features the Cardinal Manufacturing program, technology education teacher Craig Cegielski spoke to the audience on what Cardinal Manufacturing is, its latest events and money raised thus far, totaling $77,940.51. Cegielski also noted the episode, which first aired on Sunday, April 5 on the MAVTV television network, would bring national attention to the program. Cegielski said there have already been many calls coming in. 

“I’m extremely happy where we are at now,” Cegielski said. “We can go so much further from here.” 

Before showing the episode, Cegielski received two donations from Donovan Peterson, Paul Vold and Lee Dawson with Osseo Precision Machining, Inc,  and Dan Conroy with Nexen Group, Inc of Webster, Wis.   

Conroy, vice president of Nexen Group, Inc, who along with his employer donated funds of his own, briefly spoke to the audience about where the program could lead students in the future. 

“We have metal chips in our blood,” Conroy said. “Programs like this help schools show students the possibilities that lie before them.” 

After the viewing of the episode, the drawing for the raffles followed. Gabe Monson, 12, took home the cutting board and Lois Loomans of Mondovi won the grill. Cardinal Catering, a technical skills based program within the school’s family and consumer education class, served cookies and refreshments to the crowd.

Cegielski described Cardinal Manufacturing as a student run business.  In ninth grade, students can take Metal 1, and sophomore year Metal 2. After this, they can apply for the Cardinal Manufacturing program. Cegielski said the program started back in 2008 with only nine students. For next year, that number has doubled.

“We had to turn some away, ” Cegielski said, adding the goal would be no more than 20 students. 

Cegielski said students are interviewed and then hired, and even receive a pay check. The company is complete with welders, machinists, a marketing team, an office manager and a production manager. 

“We want to develop good employable skills that all students in the school can be a part of,” Cegielski said.  

Tyson Rohrscheib, current production manager of Cardinal Manufacturing, said he thinks highly of the program and where it’s headed. 

“It’s nice to have something like this here,” Rohrscheib said. “It helps us plan life after high school.” 

Cegielski said there are people in the shop every week helping, and orders have even begun to grow out of state. 

“In five years, we can be amazingly further than we are today,” Cegielski said, thanking the many contributors to the programs’ success. 

Since the program has debuted, other programs in the school have emerged. Cegielski said along with Cardinal Catering, the newest program under development is Cardinal Communications, which is focused on developing real-life journalism and marketing skills.

“I am so grateful the School Board was willing and open to the idea,” Cegielski said. “We have a whole country of support.”

Cegielski said through this program, students will have the skills to move on to the working environment, and he encourages his students to continue on to higher education.

“Schooling after high school will  raise the bar for them,” Cegielski said. 

On June 24, Cardinal Manufacturing will be hosting a workshop day in which schools from the surrounding area can come and learn how to implement a program like this into their own schools.  To find out more about the Cardinal Manufacturing program, visit the website, www.cardinalmanufacturing.org.