EDGAR RECORD REVIEW

Obey tours Edgar high tech lab space

April 9, 2008

Three Edgar High School students don't necessarily think federal earmarks are such a bad thing.

Technology Tour - Congressman David Obey, at left, discusses future tech-ed curriculum with Edgar High School instructor Greg Streit on Friday

"I think it's very interesting," said Burish. "I'm going into graphic arts."

Imhoff and Steinke were also upbeat. A new engineering course sequence, known as Project Lead the Way, will be taught in the remodeled school shop. Both students are keenly interested in engineering and look forward to the new instruction.

Steinke's dream is to become an aerospace engineer, while Imhoff wants to design new things using computers.

"I want to learn engineering, but especially the computer aspect of it," Imhoff said.

Edgar School District initially requested a $136,000 earmark. That request was trimmed back to $95,000 as part of Funds for the Improvement of Secondary Education rolled into an omnibus spending package approved by President George W. Bush back in December.

"Modern industrial skills are highly marketable, and there's no better way to learn those skills than hands on training with the latest tools. So I'm glad we were able to secure the funds to help the school district build this lab," said Obey.

The congressman said Bush only reluctantly signed the spending bill "after eight months of huffing and puffing."

Obey, who toured the old shop while elementary school students were constructing pine birdhouses, said the school district should get the official grant paperwork within a month or two, but certainly by the end of the school year.

Technology Education instructor Greg Streit said he has been taking courses at Milwaukee School of Engineering to prepare for Project Lead the Way. He already has experience teaching graphic arts at a different school.

Streit said he is looking forward to a new tech ed classroom.

"I'm pretty excited about it," he said.

Edgar High School plans to convert an old wood shop into a high tech lab complete with appropriate equipment to teach courses in CNC lathe operation, computer-aided design, graphic arts photography, laser engraving, modern welding and plasma arc cutting.

School officials said the current woodworking shop would be moved directly south to a storage area in the agricultural shop.