Industrial-sized appreciation
Business and industry representatives of Red Oak and Montgomery County were honored at an Industry Appreciation Day lunch and program at the Red Oak Country Club Wednesday, Oct. 5.
Shawnna Silvius, the Montgomery County Development Corporation director, shared some of the numbers from the county on population and available jobs.
“The current county population numbers are 10,225. There are 5,333 jobs. Of that, 607 are reported to be in manufacturing. Those jobs contribute to 247 other jobs. The average earnings of manufacturing positions is $63,500. Take that times the number of jobs, equates to $38.5 million dollars in our county,” Silvius said.
Guests also heard from representatives of the Red Oak, Stanton, and Southwest Valley school districts with an update on STEM programs in each district and how STEM aids in preparing students for the workforce.
Sheila Mainquist, Stanton guidance counselor, said students were provided packets of STEM activities from Deb Frazee. She highlighted one of many special programs being offered for the younger students to improve their math skills.
“The students watch a video, in one case it was Krispy Kreme donuts being made. After the video, they are presented with a multiplication problem, so they can see the donuts being made and apply it to a real world problem to aid in learning,” Mainquist said.
Erin Wetzel, Southwest Valley Middle School guidance counselor, shared some of the details of the STEM programs at the middle school, though she said STEM programs and activities were spread across every grade level. One of the special STEM classes is automation and robotics.
“They teach students how to build mechanisms, and teaching them about torque and force. Eventually, they take that learning and build and program their own robot. It also teaches them how to persevere, and see a project through to the end. It’s fun to watch their excitement and learning progress throughout the course,” Wetzel said.
The school also holds a STEM night, where students showcase their work and area businesses also set up booths with hands-on opportunities for students to see how STEM applies in the workforce. The event draws roughly 300 people, including some from the Des Moines area who travel to take part.
Trish Fellers shared the STEM update from the Red Oak district, including the popular Lego League for the sixth through eighth grade students.
“The kids love the program, and it’s so much more than just building Legos. The goal is to allow participants to practice using imagination and teamwork, and the students take their projects to competition to be judged, “ Fellers said.
The final presenter was Paul Dunnwald, part of the CIRAS program at Iowa State University. Dunnwald said the overall goal of CIRAS was retention.
“Our concept is to retain students in the state. We want them to see there are opportunities here for them if they choose to remain in Iowa,” commented Dunnwald.
Red Oak Mayor Bill Billings closed out the event, and said collaboration in the future is key.
“I think the MCDC’s goal has been to create a center of collaboration, and a point person in Shawnna Silvius where people can go and express their needs. We will collaborate with MCDC and the school system to provide the education that we need,” Billings said.