Friends_Fall 2010.pdf - Northeast Wisconsin Technical College

Educational partnership ‘opens door’ to future careers for Denmark students
A new, permanent Viking logo
at Denmark High School is
more than just a symbol of school
spirit for some area students– it’s the
product of an ongoing partnership
between DHS and NWTC that is
allowing the students to get first-hand
experience in a potential future career.
To create the Viking mascot mural
made of ceramic tile, the eight
students from the DHS
construction course worked
closely with NWTC’s
Masonry Apprenticeship
program students. “This
project opened a whole
new door of experiences for
the DHS students,” said John
Zellner, NWTC instructor.
“Getting involved with a trade
provides another option for their future.”
For two weeks in March, Zellner brought six
tile setting apprentices to DHS to lay
out the tile pattern and set the
background tile on a wall
in the far north hallway of the school while Rick
Anderson’s students at DHS observed. Once the
logo of the Viking pattern was cut around it,
Zellner and the apprentices showed the
DHS students how to put mosaic tiles on
the wall to form the logo. The high
school students then spent another
12 hours completing the mosaic
Viking logo and grouting the tile
wall.
“The DHS students all learned
new skills and were exposed
to a possible future career,”
said Anderson. “We appreciate
the growing partnership that
we have with NWTC’s Trades
and Engineering Technologies
department.”
The Viking logo is the latest in a series of projects
designed to benefit both DHS and NWTC
students. When Anderson and Zellner began their
collaboration about four years ago, they focused on
involving the students in a teaching/working/learning
environment – the NWTC apprentices learn training
techniques while the DHS students learn new skills.
Afro-Latin Project, an Iowabased
ensemble specializing
in the music and dances
influenced by the African
presence in Latin America,
performed at the fourthannual
Multi-Ethnic Fair in
March. The free event also
featured demonstrations by
Hmong, American Indian,
and Hispanic craft artisans.
NWTC’s multicultural student
organizations handed out
samples of their native foods.
NWTC Friends • FALL 2010 ~ Page 4