Innovation Center gives Lake Park students hands-on experience
Nearly 200 junior and senior students at Lake Park High School's West Campus in Roselle began the 2015-16 school year experiencing classes in a new 3,000-square-foot engineering and precision machining facility.
The state-of-the-art Innovation Center represents the collaborative vision of the Lake Park High School District 108 Board of Education and a Technology Advisory Council composed of more than 25 business professionals and industry leaders.
The Innovation Center is designed to support curricular opportunities and increasing demand for skilled workers in the engineering and precision machining industries. Momentum began in 2013 when Lake Park became a recognized Project Lead the Way School - the nation's leading science, technology, engineering and math program - and secured a $35,000 grant for three years to support implementation.
Lake Park also was named a recipient of a four-year, $50,000 grant from the Technology and Manufacturing Association Education Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting technology, manufacturing and engineering educational initiatives.
Concurrently in 2013, council members launched an aggressive schedule of site visits to schools, trips to local manufacturers and countless meetings with equipment vendors, school administrators and architects to develop a project scope for the Innovation Center. The resulting footprint includes an engineering design lab and precision machining lab.
Since the building dedication ceremony in September, Lake Park has had the pleasure of hosting numerous visitors and company representatives to tour the facilities, including DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin and representatives from 1,000 Jobs for Chicagoland Manufacturing campaign, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, and Fanuc Robotics.
In addition, Lake Park students have been engaging with industry experts by attending field trips, including a recent trip to the FabTech Expo - North America's largest metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing event - at McCormick Place in Chicago.
Locally, businesses have been opening their doors for our students to tour and gain even more exposure to the opportunities that exist for internships, apprenticeships, summer employment and full-time opportunities after graduation.
The TMA Education Foundation this month hosted a round-table discussion at Lake Park's Innovation Center for all precision machining teachers in the Chicago area. Topics of discussion for this and future meetings include best practices, projects and curriculum, credentialing, establishing and working with an advisory board, and professional development opportunities for teachers.
The Lake Park school board understands the benefits of a pathway program like PLTW that provides students with beneficial exposure to technical concepts and hands-on experience with equipment and software. Dynamic partnerships with industry experts ensures that the high school is making decisions in the best interest of preparing students for their futures.
Lake Park students will graduate workplace- and college-ready, and even have the opportunity to earn a competitive advantage by testing for industry-approved certifications. They also will earn dual credit through the College of DuPage.
The generosity of corporate and individual donors to date totals more than $100,000 in equipment and tools and made a difference to this emerging program. Lake Park continues to aggressively seek local and national grant opportunities that can provide additional resources for growth.
• Dr. Lynne Panega is superintendent of Lake Park High School District 108. Her column appears in Neighbor monthly during the school year.