Four OHS seniors recently completed a lighted sign that will be a part of the annual Holiday Nights ‘n Lights display in Ottumwa Park.
Tyler McCoy, Alex Lingren, Zach Lisk, and Blaine Webster spent about three weeks fabricating the district’s logo out of metal and illuminating it with red lights. The project incorporated a variety of skills, including using the plasma cutter, welding, and automotive painting.
According to Lingren, students learn to problem-solve. For example, the foursome had to figure out how to attach the LED rope lights to light up the logo. “The process we go through gets everyone involved in different aspects of the project,” said Lisk. “With Bulldog Manufacturing, part of the district's SparkTank initiative, it is more organized, more of an assembly-line process.” The students liked the opportunity to work on a real project.
“It’s like having a two-period job,” said Lisk. “The class is set up to complete manufacturing jobs and provides knowledge of what it’s like to be in a manufacturing place.”
While the four spend two hours a day in Bulldog Manufacturing, they all have different career goals. McCoy hopes to become an electrical apprentice at Wingers, Lingren plans to attend Indian Hills’ auto mechanics program, Lisk is dual enrolled at Indian Hills in the welding program with hopes of someday working on a pipeline, and Webster is also dual enrolled at Hills in the machining program. While they are not all pursuing a career in a metals trade, all enjoy the class and the hands-on instruction it provides.
Their efforts will greet visitors to the Holiday Nights ‘n Lights display when it opens on Saturday, November 16.
