Grant Will Help Make MTHS Lab A Reality
Manheim Township High School (MTHS) technology teachers Aaron Krause and Rich Nolt have a dream for their students. "We want the manufacturing and design/build world to be attractive to students," said Nolt. "We want our tech program to be accessible. We want the door to be wide open."
Since at least 2017, Nolt and Krause have been dreaming about a lab that would offer learning experiences to both students wishing to attend college and those who might want to go to technical school to learn a specific trade or who attend Lancaster County Career and Technology Center during their senior year. "We want to be able to give those students experiences in an environment where they feel cared for and the (type of) space they can see themselves working in," said Nolt.
The pair submitted a Design + Build Lab grant request to Manheim Township Education Foundation (MTEF), an organization dedicated to making resources available to educators in order to enrich student experiences. Two grants from MTEF will help begin turning the teachers' dreams into reality.
Jenny Germann, executive director of the MTEF, said that an initial grant of $25,000 was given in the fall of 2020 by BB&T, now Truist. "They were really interested in the project," said Germann. Nolt noted that the bulk of those funds were used to upgrade equipment and furniture to make positive changes for students.
This spring, the MTEF grant committee recommended supporting the second phase of the project, which will help provide equipment for three lab zone work areas. Nolt noted that $15,000 of the $65,000 grant will cover the costs of consulting with an architect to determine the most efficient way to use available space. Germann reported that support for this grant came from multiple local organizations, including APR Supply Company, the High Foundation, and Clark Associates.
According to Nolt, one of the three spaces will be a design lab area with laptop technology, space for a laser engraver, and 3D printing equipment. "All that equipment is sensitive to humidity," said Nolt, who said the second area would be dedicated to precision machining, welding, and introductory types of activities. The final and largest section would provide lab table space and an area for processing wood and metals.
Readers who are interested in learning more about MTEF may visit http://mtef.net, call 717-735-1751, or email administrator@mtef.net.
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