The Koehler Company teams up with Seguin High School for special CTE project
(Seguin) — Thanks to community partnerships, students at Seguin High School are literally being handed the tools to help build their futures. Students in the CTE (career and technical education) construction trades class recently were able to assist their fellow classmates in the health science program by not only building but also designing and installing a new customer service/nurse’s counter for the school’s CNA (certified nursing assistant) program.
Students in Kenneth Soefje’s construction practicum class built the counter under the direction of local business The Koehler Company. Ryan Ayotte, of The Koehler Company, says the kids got to see first hand how a product goes from an idea to a finished product.
“We had a group that sat in the drafting department to watch how it was designed, all the different things that we go through to figure out, well okay how is this really going to go together, what are the components, how do we want it to look when we are done that kind of thing. I took a group through an estimating process to say okay, this is how much it could cost. We have to think about materials. We have to think about labor and then we had them walk through the shop with it. We had them watch it being cut out on a CNC router. They helped assemble it. They helped put the plastic on it, different things within that process of assembling and today, we are going to let them put the counter tops on so they can get that experience of actually installing the product,” said Ayotte.
Steve Koehler, owner of the Koehler Company, says this type of partnership is “real building” between a school and a business.
“I think it’s great that they are doing this and high school is a little bit more — when we were in school, we had a lot of these kind of classes and now, the CTE classes — there is vet trades, there’s this class, there is nursing, so many great things, cosmetology. I think it’s great with what they are doing. They are learning different things that they can then put to use right after they get out of high school,” said Koehler. CTE Director Stephen Gonzalez says he’s proud of the students. He says each one of them had a particular job in seeing this project to fruition.
“For our students, it’s huge. The opportunity to be able to work side by side and getting that real world experience is huge for our students and it’s one of a kind. It really is and then to see something and create something that will be a part of Seguin High School forever is just another big part of what our students are able to do and so when they come back, they’ll be able to see this nurse’s station here in full effect and for our health science students, what it does is it really just gives them more of the work environment in the classroom so that we can make it have that hands on training at Seguin High School,” said Gonzalez.
As their CTE teacher, Soefje says he couldn’t be more proud of this group of students who are already learning to make a difference.
“A lot of these guys in this crew are seniors heading out and it’s an opportunity for them to make an imprint and footprint here at the school when they leave and so we are really proud of all of this opportunity and relationship that we have built here,” said Kenneth.
As the students drilled screws into the counter top, Health Science Teacher Kelly Soefje couldn’t help but show her excitement. Soefje says the nurse’s counter is a win-win for everyone.
“I’m tickled pink because it was an empty lab and now, it really looks like a assimilation lab. It looks professional. It looks very well put together and I think that when my students come in, they will feel like nurses. They will feel like they are really walking into the healthcare setting and they will know that they are being prepared for the real world instead of just walking into something make believe. They will feel more prepared for the job setting for the real world,” said Kelly.
More specifically, Kelly says the new nurse’s station will allow for a mock call center with light system, customer service space and document training. Among those students installing the counter from the bottom up were Seniors Lisa Alaniz and Leo Costilla. Alaniz says being one of only two females in the program has not distracted her from looking ahead at what is most important.
“Eventually, I want to be able to build my own homes and just see different styles of architecture around the world and I eventually want to be able to travel with this because I always just like going different places, seeing new things and I always just wanted to pursue this like make something of my own and then just live my life this way. I thought it was pretty cool being able to go to The Koehler Company and having the guys just help us through things and seeing their CAD programs and how they work on those because they taught us a lot too as well and not just about what goes into it but like how they help each other, how they communicate just like different things,” said Alaniz.
Costilla says he too got into the class because of his interest in architecture. He says the hands on training at The Koehler Company just fueled his passion even more.
“It was really interesting and I really think it leaves kind of our legacy behind if you can think of that. We got to go to the shop and not just experience how they build it but experienced how they go into the design of it and the details of it and we got to see that there was a lot to do with that. It took us like two days to come up with a design,” said Costilla. Those with the CTE program at the high school again thank businesses such as The Koehler Company for taking an interest in the students and for doing their part to ensure a future for each student. Koehler, a Seguin High School grad himself, says the pleasure is all theirs.
“At The Koehler Company, we all bleed gold and white. I mean Seguin High School means a lot to us so yes, we want to help out anytime where we can,” said Koehler.
The Seguin ISD currently offers career and technical education programs in Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources; Architecture and Construction; Business, Management, and Administration, Education and Training; Health Science; Human Services; Information Technology; Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security; Manufacturing; Marketing, Sales, and Services; and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.