A look into the future
Photos by LOREN BENOIT/Press Sage truck driver Kevin Keyes shows Coeur d’Alene freshman Robbie Gemsen how to drive a semi truck during a hands-on career expo Friday morning at Kootenai Technical Education Campus.
Coeur d’Alene High freshman Brayden Cannon uses an excavator to pick up a cone.
Post Falls High School sophomore Patrick Moore painted a car door with the help of a virtual reality trainer at the 10th annual Hard Hats, Hammers & Hot Dogs event Friday. (JUDD WILSON/Press)
By JUDD WILSON
Staff writer
RATHDRUM — High school students from around North Idaho got a hands-on experience with their futures in manufacturing, technology, engineering, trucking, electric, and more at the 10th annual Hard Hats, Hammers & Hot Dogs here Friday. The industry-sponsored event at KTEC and the North Idaho College Parker Technical Education Center is designed to give students from as far as Clark Fork, Mullan, and Plummer a feel for what these fields are like, said KTEC Director Colby Mattila.
KTEC collision repair instructor Andy Rogge led students through a virtual reality painting program, which allows students to paint virtual auto doors and bodies without spraying a drop of paint. The results are shown in real time on a computer, and can be analyzed afterward to reveal imperfections in the painter’s technique. Post Falls High School sophomore Patrick Moore said the training “was really cool.”
Coeur d’Alene High School sophomore Thomas Schmidt is interested in pursuing biomechanical engineering but enjoyed taking a whirl in an excavator. “I never drove one before,” he said. Fellow Viking sophomore Jackson Call was thrilled by his time in the excavator. “I liked it a lot. It was really fun,” he said.
Ryan Grieb is soon to graduate from the computer-aided design technology mechanical program at North Idaho College. He demonstrated a 3D scanner to high school students who were just like him two years ago. One subject of the 3D scanner, Lakeside High School junior Travis Arnold, said he is pursuing a future in engineering and enjoyed the event.
Northern Fire District personnel Mike Mather, Tyler Drexel, and Joe Mallrie talked to students about all things fire from wildland, structural, EMS, and more. Kids got to put on the gear firefighters use and experiment with water.
Sage Truck Driving School instructor John Spradling helped students take a short drive in an 18-wheeler. Spradling said the event was good exposure of the field to local kids. North Idaho Christian School sophomore Jayden Colby drove the big rig and said he had fun. Like many students at the event Friday, his eyes were opened to something he had never considered as a career. “I’ve never done it before. It’s still a possible opportunity,” Colby said.