Wheeling Park High School Machine Tool Technology students have been recognized for their excellent work and current partnership with Wheeling-Nippon Steel.
Explore the New Manufacturing held its Northern Regional Award Ceremony Monday at WesBanco Arena. Wheeling Park Career and Technical Education teacher Aaron Fedorke and his machine tool technology students were introduced for their involvement in Explore’s “Manufacturing Innovation Challenge.”
As part of the challenge, Wheeling Park students designed a “grapple,” which is a tool designed to lift eight-foot rolls of paper weighing as much as 200 pounds. Park students designed the prototype of the grapple that was on display at Monday’s ceremony.
On Tuesday, Fedorke said his students are now constructing the actual grapple that will be made of aluminum. Wheeling-Nippon Steel representatives were on hand Monday to look at the prototype and speak with students about moving forward with the project. Wheeling-Nippon Steel officials will visit the Wheeling Park High School Career and Technical Education Department on Friday to see Fedorke’s work/learning space and speak to students about the direction of the project.
“We are proud of this, and I think the officials from Wheeling-Nippon Steel were blown away that we could do this,” Fedorke said. “It wouldn’t have been possible without such great students. This is an amazing project, and we’ve already had great results. The students and those at Wheeling-Nippon Steel are excited about where it’s heading.”
Additional items created by Fedorke’s students were on display at the ceremony. Students unveiled a West Virginia State Seal constructed out of metal, and it will be presented to West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Clayton Burch. Park students also constructed the trophies that were handed out to award-winning middle school students at the event.
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