Mondovi, Durand schools honored for new collaborative project with CVTC

by Beth Kraft, Mondovi Herald-News, and Christina Lindstrom, The Courier-Wedge

Though still in its infancy, a new collaborative program involving two local high schools and a technical college will soon make it possible for students taking certain technology education classes to get a head start on valuable career skills.

As part of a new manufacturing academy in conjunction with Chippewa Valley Technical College, Mondovi and Durand high school students will have the opportunity to earn as many as 21 college credits while still in high school—saving students both time and money while providing them with valuable, hands-on experience in their future career of choice.

For its groundbreaking efforts, the CDM Manufacturing Pathways project and its three member schools recently received one of seven Standing Up for Rural Wisconsin awards from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The awards were presented to school reps during the Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance conference, held Wednesday, Nov. 12, in Stevens Point.

The collaborative effort between CVTC and the two high schools will create a “manufacturing academy” in which students take classes like technical math, critical core manufacturing skills and blueprint reading at their schools. CDM students can then parlay the lessons learned in those foundation classes into Youth Options courses through CVTC or qualifying college-level classes like CAD, electronics and welding at Mondovi or Durand.

Mondovi District Administrator Cheryl Gullicksrud, who has worked closely over the past year with Durand Superintendent Greg Doverspike and reps from CVTC to formulate the program, said the recent award came as somewhat of a surprise.

She noted CDM is still in the “construction phase” with tech ed teachers currently working to set up their curriculum for approval by CVTC staff in order for the classes to count as transcripted credits.

“It’s really giving kids multiple options in any area they have interest in,” Gullicksrud said of the program. “It’s a very exciting project and it’s exciting to see it get off the ground.”

Gullicksrud noted that Doverspike’s experience with academy-oriented programs as a past principal at Abbotsford High School helped get CDM going.

Doverspike said the CDM structure is unique—very few similar programs exist in Wisconsin. 

“We’ve had multiple schools in the CVTC district talk to us about what we’re doing,” he said. “They want to emulate what we’re doing.”

CDM to unite district resources

Mondovi tech ed teacher Shay Lehman said he was also surprised to hear of CDM’s early recognition, but he noted the program will act as a key gateway to better prepare students for manufacturing jobs.

“Number one it gives them a head start on their schooling after high school,” said Lehman. “Kids like the idea that it’s going to be free college credit and a jump-start.”

Manufacturing Pathways hasn’t been advertised much to students as of yet while teachers work to fine-tune their classes to meet college-level standards, but Lehman said he hopes to see the program operational beginning next year. 

Any qualifying classes students take this year, such as blueprint reading and problem solving, will count toward earning transcripted credits should they pursue the two-year CDM program, he said.

“There’s definitely an interest there,” Lehman said of student curiosity into manufacturing career options.

For MHS senior Andrew Zebell, the 15 transcripted credits he’s already racked up will save him classroom time and valuable tuition dollars once he heads off to CVTC next year.

Zebell, who has interests in following the Midwest oil boom to North Dakota to work as a welder, said a manufacturing-related career has long appealed to him. 

“I’ve always liked working with my hands and working with cars,” he said.

The college credit-bearing classes Zebell has already taken have taught him how to read blueprints, design projects, and to use complex computer-aided drafting software like SolidWorks—a new program at Mondovi this year. He’s also checked a few general education requirements off his list, earning college credits in accounting and English.

“It’s allowed me in a high school setting to do college-level work,” said Zebell of the transcripted credit process.

After graduation, students like Zebell can take their college credits in any one of three different directions: into the workforce, to a technical college like CVTC, or to a four-year school.

Gullicksrud acknowledged that an increased demand for skilled workers in manufacturing is part of the driving force behind CDM. 

Eleva-Strum High School has its Cardinal Manufacturing program, a student-run manufacturing business that has reaped the benefits of providing youths with a solid foundation of tech ed skills. The new Manufacturing Pathways project is Mondovi and Durand’s way of providing students with a similar experience in manufacturing careers while also allowing them to earn transcripted credits, Gullicksrud said.

Students will also be able to travel between Mondovi and Durand to take classes, and manufacturing lab space at CVTC will also be available at times.

Lehman explained that both schools have some different technology and equipment available to tech ed students, making it plausible for the two schools to share their resources.

Doverspike pointed out that smaller schools, like Mondovi and Durand, simply don’t have enough kids to run high-level tech ed courses on their own.

“This allows two schools to offer courses that one on its own may not be able to offer due to low interest, and allows students at both schools to participate,” he said. “The two districts jointly have enough students to run the courses on a regular basis.”

At Mondovi, transcripted credit classes will include basic electronics, solid modeling, and blueprint reading and problem solving.

Both schools are tentatively planning to offer their CDM program classes in the afternoons during sixth and seventh hours, Lehman said, though those details are still being worked out for next year.

“It’s a collaborative sharing of resources between the two districts,” summarized Gullicksrud.

“We all have the goal of helping students achieve success,” commented Roger Stanford, CVTC Vice President, in a press release. “Through the Manufacturing Academy at the Mondovi and Durand schools, students can start early in gaining the skills they need to succeed in lucrative manufacturing careers. These efforts also serve the economy in rural areas, helping manufacturing businesses find trained workers right in their own communities. This program is a win for everyone.”

While the CDM Manufacturing Pathways project is the first of its kind in this part of the state, Gullicksrud is hopeful it won’t be the last.

Students with interests in the health care, financial, and child care fields may benefit from the organization of academies based on CDM principles in the future, Gullicksrud explained, noting the viability of such programs will depend on staff certifications and local resources available to support program needs.