Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Hurley School District students Ayden Hipenbecker and Nathan Alleva work together on a cutting board during the Northwoods Manufacturing open house on Friday.
By ZACHARY MARANO
Hurley - Hurley School District students enrolled in the Northwoods Manufacturing program had a chance to show how the student-run business functions on a day-to-day basis to the community as the department had its annual open house on Friday.
Northwoods Manufacturing students continued to work as normal while visitors came in and out throughout the day to get an inside look at operations, including working on a bulk order of 250 cribbage boards commissioned by Jacquart Fabric Products in Ironwood.
The boards were carved on wood by the students in the outline of a classic Stormy Kromer cap, with Stormy Kromer being a division of Jacquart Fabrics. Northwoods Manufacturing student Brandon Barbacovi said they collaborated with Jacquart Fabric on the design and the finished products will be available through the sewing manufacturer's online-only store around Christmas 2022.
Students Eli Talsma and Jeremey Oja were seen building a small shed for the school's new maple syrup operation, which was funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Acer Access and Development Program and opened to the public last month. Bottled maple syrup boiled and filtered by the students was also showcased.
Another student, Haley Tull, demonstrated the use of the wood department's CNC machine for visitors. These machines - which stand for computer numerical control - are used to cut wood into shapes by reading digital files. Similar demonstrations were also performed on the metal department's CNC machines.
Many student-made items were also on sale, with several table sets created by Northwoods Manufacturing being purchased by visitors during the open house.
