Central Catholic High School - Lance Yearbook (Lafayette, IN)

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Opening Doors To The Future

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This year 15 students participated in our DCE pro- gram. It was a system that allowed senior students to have part-time jobs during school hours. The students left school at 1:00 p.m. and went to their jobs at McDonald ' s, Penney ' s and other businesses that were involved in the program. The manager of the business sent weekly reports to school on the student ' s job per- formance. These reports were used as a basis for their quarter and semester grades. The students felt that working during school hours gave them experience in handling people. The DCE program was a boost to them because the experience they gained allowed them to be one step ahead of everyone else. The drafting class was under the supervision of a new teacher, Mr. Kevin Brettnacher. After the class had learned how to use drafting materials such as V, trian- gle and mechanical pencils, the work began. One of their first projects involved designing a rocket that would take an egg and transfer it from one point to another without breaking it. The class went on an excursion to Detroit to see how the old cars in the Henry Ford Museum were designed. While there, they also observed the suspension bridge and the tunnel under the St. John River. Because there were only six students enrolled in the class, students-teacher relationships were closer, and field trips were easier to take. DCE and drafting opened up new doors for student who wanted a vocational background. These programs helped the students get a glimpse of what their futures could be.

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The industrial arts students had a long wait before their shop classes finally started, but finally, a week and a half after school started, Father Dhondt was able to locate a teacher for them. Mr. Kevin Brettnacher took the job, and was able to initiate a new program for the students. The Central Indiana Construction Advancement Foundation (CICAF) awarded $1500 to CC ' s industrial arts program. The money was to be used to buy materi- als for a course in construction. This course was offered to the juniors, and its purpose was to inform them about all the aspects of construction. The CICAF hoped that maybe if students became aware of the construction business, they might look into the possibilities of going into the field of construction after high school. During the course, students were divided into three groups of five people, and together they built mini-barns (the type used for storage). They were able to earn money by doing this, consequently, they were accom- plishing the programs long-range goal to provide a way for the shop department to become self-sufficient. Mr. Brettnacher also rearranged the shop, and bought in more equipment in order to make it better. In addition to the construction course, he taught courses in power mechanics, advanced woodworking and elec- tronics. The shop department has a bright future ahead — thanks to the new CICAF program. The prospect of learning about construction and earning money at the same time was exciting for the students. With Mr. Brett- nacher ' s help, they were able to gain new knowledge in the field of industrial arts.