To the editor:
My name is Kaden Boyer. I am a junior at Perry High School. I am writing in support of the Industrial Technology Department expansion.
Being in the shop has done so much for me. The fact that I went from knowing the basics about automotive to being lucky enough to compete at the DMACC auto contest shows that it is possible to start from the bottom and work our way up, but imagine the number of kids being able to compete if we added on and had more room to teach.
Safety is one of the most important things that we need to consider in the shop. With the shop being so crowded and everything being so old, it poses many serious safety issues.
For example, the dust collection systems in the shop are very out of date. Recently, we were making toy cars for the Elks Christmas baskets when we experienced an abundance of dust build up. The welding fans were on. There were many fans with air filters taped onto them just to try and reduce the amount of dust, which had very little effect.
Given we do seem to have lots of success with just the little bit of room we are provided, just imagine what we can do when there is more room for us to work, to learn and to help each other improve.
One of the programs run through the shop is the research and design class, which has taught me many important values and skills that I can use throughout my life — from working with deadlines to managing money and parts and everything in between. With more room to work, it could give us endless more possibilities on what we can accomplish and bring to this school.
Perry’s SkillsUSA has had multiple students win in the state competitions and has sent up to 20 people to the national competition every year for quite some time. Just imagine how much larger the number could be with a new shop that gives us all the room and opportunities to take the program from good to great.
Me personally, I have placed second and third in power equipment technology and also first place in promotional bulletin board in the state competition.
I feel that if we get a brand new shop, then it will motivate everyone to try even harder, maybe even achieving higher places in the state competitions as well as even the national competition. This is why I believe you should vote Yes on Feb. 5.
Kaden Boyer
Perry
