Three Beaufort County public high schools — Beaufort High, Bluffton High and Hilton Head Island High — stand to gain dedicated Career and Technical Education (CATE) buildings on their campuses if Saturday's $76 million referendum passes.
The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette recently toured May River's four-classroom facility to see what it's like:
Welding II
Welding teacher Brad Childress does not let anyone walk into his classroom without sliding on safety goggles. Earplugs are also offered to deaden the noise of grinding metal.
A dozen students shuffled about the shop with the majority huddled around a large steel shark — a nod to the school’s mascot. The student-welders aimed to transform it into a working barbeque grill the school can use at athletic events.
Sparks flew as the group of mostly sophomore and juniors cut through sheet metal.
Senior Matthew Curry transferred from Bluffton High to May River, in part, because of the welding program. He said he started welding at age 13 and plans to one day take over his dad’s business, Lowcountry Paver in Hardeeville.
Students that complete May River’s four-course welding program earn two certifications and 60 “qualifications,” what Childress likens to a learner’s permit.
Childress’ students have part-time jobs at Ohio Grading, American Master Ironwork, Southeastern Rails and Tyco Terminal. When they graduate, they’ll have jobs lined up at these area shops, he said.
For every welder entering the field, six are retiring, Childress said.
Automotive Technology II
Students were buzzing on a recent Friday — and it wasn’t just because it was the last day of school before spring break. May River’s two-bay shop area, which better resembles a car repair garage than a classroom, was in full swing.
Four students worked to repair the brakes on a Corvette, a private donation to the school’s auto technology program.
Others scattered throughout the shop working on various projects. A minivan, Hyundai and two pick-up trucks are parked outside the garage and rotate in, depending on the lesson of the day.
May River automotive technology teacher Jeff Kaney said students’ reasons for enrollment vary.
Junior Josh Brenner, he wants to be an aircraft mechanic in the Marine Corps.
Matthew McDonnell, also a junior, plans to study mechanical or automotive engineering in college.
And senior Scott Wooten said he “just wanted to learn the basics” of car repairs.
Five of Kaney’s students intern at Lexus, Audi and Bluffton Township Fire District.
"Lexus needs folks,” Kaney said. “Beachside Autmotive needs folks. They contact me, but my students are only in the second level (of the program).”
When more students move up the ranks to the fourth-level class, Kaney will send them to the dealers.
Introduction to Engineering and Design
A hypothetical problem for the students to solve is projected on the front board of engineering teacher Justin Robinson’s classroom.
A faux client, Fine Office Furniture LLC, is losing a “sizeable loss of profit” in wasted cubes leftover from their product, the board read. Robinson assigned his 20 introductory-level students to design the leftover cubes in a way to reduce profit loss. Students shifted back and forth from their laptops to the cubes splayed across the tables searching for a solution.
Robinson’s introductory course exposes students to sketching and design concepts using CAD software. His courses touch on robotics, animation, programming and physics.
Those that make their way to Engineering, Design and Development — the fourth-level engineering course — work on a capstone project.
Last year, Robinson’s upper-level students crafted a prosthetic leg for a three-legged dog using a 3-D printer.
Clinical Nursing
The fake blood comes out during Health Sciences II.
It’s then, during health sciences teacher Karen Myers lesson on how to properly dress wounds, that she gets a sense of who will go on to enroll in Health Sciences III.
Clinical nursing is the culminating course in the four-step program. Students spend three days in class and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Myers takes the students to Bluffton’s NHC Nursing Home where they help residents clean, dress themselves and prepare for the day.
While Myers teaches as many as 28 in her introductory courses, the upper-level course is capped at eight students because students become a Ceritified Nursing Assistant (CNA).
At least two of Myers’ eight students will go on to pursue nursing.
Senior Molly Minasi will attend University of South Carolina Beaufort this fall and study nursing.
Ma’laysha Bentley, also a senior, is going into the Army. She wants to become a medical corpsman, meaning she could work on active duty or in a VA hospital.
This story was originally published April 19, 2018 3:41 PM.