Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >> Dan Bates / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Arlington High School student Sheldon Severson mounts a bit inside a Computer Numerical Control mill. Local manufacturers are helping fund and train students in much-needed skills.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 Businesses partner with Arlington school to help kids gain sought-after skills By Eric Stevick Herald writer ARLINGTON -- Brett Sarver remembers the day his boss took him for a ride in her Jeep Grand Cherokee through the sprawling industrial areas around Arlington. It was the fall of 2005 and Superintendent Linda Byrnes gave the accounting teacher and new head of the Arlington School District's career and technical education marching orders: Find out what's going on behind those closed doors where sparks fly and machines whir. Sarver made calls and the circuit of local companies. Sometimes, he would bring along math, science and technology teachers as well as a counselor. What he found was a vibrant manufacturing sector hungry for high school graduates trained in precision machining. The companies also were willing to open their wallets to help. In the past two years, more than a dozen businesses, mostly from Arlington, have donated more than $60,000 so Arlington High School could get and set up a Computer Numerical Control mill and software. The equipment lets students follow their 3-D computer-aided designs and cut them into steel and aluminum objects. The companies have made engineers available to train teachers and have given $10,000 worth of mill equipment and metal supplies. Companies have stepped up to help from the day roughly three years ago when Sarver met John Middleton, a former co-owner of Absolute Manufacturing Inc., at an Arlington Rotary meeting. "The doors just flung open," Sarver said. "If anything, it was almost scary how open they were to getting this going." Middleton started Absolute Manufacturing as its lone employee in 1996. The company grew to more than 100 employees by the time it was sold last year. It only made sense for the school and the businesses to help one another, Middleton said. "Manufacturing businesses, not just in Arlington, are desperate for trained machinists," he said. "It's a good thing for the kids and it's good for business." The new machinery allowed Arlington High School to give students who had been taking computer-aided drafting classes a way to apply their knowledge in a new hands-on manufacturing and engineering course. "Kids could draw the plan, but they didn't understand the transition from the designing to the actual CNC machine that cut it out," Sarver said. "They wanted to make sure the kids understood the full connection." Students in Scott Striegel's manufacturing and engineering class also make the connection between learning the technology and getting a high-paying job someday. "There are a lot of job opportunities for someone who can do that kind of work," said Sheldon Severson, a sophomore who is learning to use the new technology. Fellow sophomore Austin Bruce has a father who works at Boeing and is interested in engineering. A knowledge of manufacturing would only help him become a better engineer, he said. "It's a really good feeling to be able to touch something you (design) from of your head," he said. "It's just a real useful class," said Ryan Doyals, a junior. Enrollment in manufacturing and engineering courses is expected to nearly double from 30 students this year to 55 next year. All of which makes Sarver smile. "I was amazed," he said. "The community has been so generous." Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.

1. Snohomish County man dies of swine flu 2. Lynnwood bank reprimanded by government 3. Police ID make of vehicle in fatal hit-and-run 4. Armed man shot by deputies in Arlington 5. IRS joins puppy mill investigation 6. Jetty Island ready for sand castles 7. Boeing's 6-month tally: 1 net order 8. Warriors & Patriots: Many American Indians served before getting full citizenship rights 9. Movin' out 10. Marshals seize swindler's home 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Warriors looking for balance • Three Scots vying for QB slot • Jackson looks for another title • Decorated veteran continues to serve as active volunteer • City Council reviewing sign regulations • Wildcats get a peek at newcomers • Lynnwood still in rebuilding mode • Shoreline feels a kindergarten growth spurt • Leave the patriotic pyrotechnics to professionals, cities urge • Trading dollars for kilowatts New PUD energy conservation programs save ... • By John Wolcott SCBJ Editor • Record crowd at Paine Field’s General Aviation Day as FHC Celebrate ... • Celebration of aviation's history and future presented in multiple venue ... • The time is ripe for small businesses to take no prisoners • EPA proposal to regulate global-warming gases would be costly for small ... • Innovation helps the town of Forks to offset tough economy • Powering the people