"Happiness does not come from a job. It comes from knowing what you truly value and behaving in a way that's consistent in those beliefs." ~ Mike Rowe, Dirty Jobs
In the final week of February, a time of year typically plagued with snow and freezing temperatures, some of our students enjoyed the warmth and sun on a 60 degree day, but were they merely breathing in fresh air? Not our kiddos! They were helping to make our school safe.
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| Mr. Montini and the EO shop work to replace our school's lights with energy-efficient LED lighting. |
How you ask? Electrical Occupations (EO) instructor, Mr. Montini, and the EO juniors and seniors were replacing the energy-gobbling metal halide lights at the front of our school.
"Replacing these lights with LED (light-emitting diode) lights will use 80% less energy and give us 100% better lighting," states Mr. Montini. He estimates that by being able to utilize the manpower of our LCCTC students, our school saved four to five thousand dollars -- not to mention savings in monthly electricity bills!
Our administration is quite proud of their work, as well. "We hire the best teachers to instruct our students on how to complete the best work," declares Principal Milanovich. "Mr. Montini and the Electrical Occupations class is no exception. We look forward to them shinning a bright light on our CTC through their dedicated and hard work within our building."
"Mr. Montini and his students are professionals," agrees Mr. Rich, Director. "They work in harmony with our existing maintenance product. It is wonderful to see the students here perform at such a high level. It is also unique when the students can have a degree of ownership in their school because they help maintain their school."
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| Ryan works to disconnect the original wiring. |
Juniors Mike Birckbichler and Gordon Yoder both feel proud that the administration trusts their shop to do the job. "We study hard to learn our trade, and I enjoy being able to use what I know to help my school," states Mike.
Senior Josh Quigly adds, "It was honestly really cool to help with this project. I got real on-the-job experience; this helped me learn, but it feels good to help the school, too!"
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| Gordon Yoder hoists the lamp down to the ground as QueaVaughn and the other EO crew assists. |
"It was a great experience being able to use the skills we've learned in the field -- even if it's in our own front yard. It helps me to have a better understanding of what I might do after I graduate," reflects senior, Matt Michael.
In the coming months, EO will continue to assist the maintenance team here at LCCTC to replace the rest of the lights around the school's property.
In other words, our students are learning to "work hard AND smart" (Rowe) here at LCCTC.
