Friendships, potential careers take root in Pre-College Programs

Automotive instructor Eric D. Pruden explains how equipment in the collision repair lab can assess and straighten damaged frames. In the Automotive Restoration program, a camper is assisted by collision repair instructor Roy H. Klinger in prepping her vehicle fender ... ... for priming and painting in a spray booth. Youths get a unique tutorial on vehicle maintenance, as Pruden uses a vintage Ford Thunderbird as his example. Getting dirty for beauty! Another participant in the “Design, Build & Grow: Landscape & Horticulture” session snips some samples. Hardscaping is hard work! ... ... but in beautiful surroundings, anything is possible! At the college’s heavy construction training site a few miles south of the Schneebeli Earth Science Center, a young man enrolled in the Diesel Truck & Heavy Equipment program moves earth ... ... while another scoops a basketball in a heavy equipment “rodeo” hosted by Groff Tractor & Equipment, among the corporate partners whose generosity extended to Pre-College Programs. Exploring the vast diesel labs and equipment at the ESC ... ... and getting their hands into a gear pump exercise in hydraulics, alongside faculty member Andy S. King. Fundamentals of Emergency Response participants practice the life-saving techniques recommended for babies that are choking. The program provided Heartsaver First Aid, CPR, AED and Stop the Bleed tourniquet training, as well as the opportunity to earn nationally recognized certification in each of those areas. A participant performs CPR on an infant manikin. Participants get hands-on practice with the guidance of Kathy L. Kling, an instructor of basic life support (EMT/EMR) for Penn College Workforce Development, and Katharine R. Kieser (not in photograph), also a Workforce Development instructor for basic life support (EMT/EMR). Nicholas L. Stephenson, among the graphic design faculty working with campers, outlines the processes practiced by professionals in the field: definition, creation, feedback and delivery. After compiling lists of items found in the office, the kitchen, the garden and the garage, campers were tasked with forming new tools from unlikely pairs. The results included a new form of riding mower, a combination whisk and scissors, and a Wrench-Writer (eraser included). Stephenson leads a constructive critique of the designers' output, having pinned the drawings to a classroom wall as done in Penn College classes. Chef Todd M. Keeley, assistant professor of baking and pastry/culinary, lends his know-how for forming roses from gum paste. The Have Your Cake and Decorate It, Too, program represented the first time any of the participants had worked with the medium. They used it to form calla lilies, roses and bows. Lab assistant and Le Jeune Chef intern Amber R. Harris, a baking & pastry arts student from Sciota, lends a hand. Each participant left the four-day camp with seven beautifully adorned cakes – carrot cake among them (with marzipan carrots). A participant carefully adds a gum-paste petal. The deliciously successful finished product of a participant who had never before iced a cake. One sample of the beauty crafted by the group of first-time decorators. Welding instructor Michael J. Nau explains how X-rays can aid Non-Destructive Testing, similar to their use in more familiar medical and dental applications. Campers donned safety gear and enjoyed hands-on experimentation in the Lycoming Engines Metal Trades Center ... ... periodically having their welds inspected by a penlight-wielding Tyler M. Frontz, an instructor and alumnus. The relevance of Pre-College Programs was reinforced in a simultaneous NDT externship for teachers and counselors – note the "Support the Trades" T-shirt! Their instruction during their weeklong stay included this class with Mark N. Hurd, instructor of non-destructive testing and welding. Blossoming in the welding lab, a “Tinker-Belle” concentrates on heat-forming her metal rose. A completed rose (at center) and one yet to be finalized (on right) bloom next to another camp creation: a sunflower (at left). Wonder Woman cookie cutters are created in an engineering design lab. Fun times with friends! Later in the day, the girls decorated their Wonder Woman cookies in a baking lab ... ... producing a colorful collection of takeaways. KUKA robots in an electronics lab create opportunities for creativity and collaboration. Celebrating on their final day of camp, the Tinker-Belles gather in front of a campus landmark. Fast friends, future leaders