Gene Haas Foundation Scholarship Recipients

       2018 Gene Haas Foundation Scholarship recipients for students continuing their education in a post-secondary machining program include Matthew Dick, Chris Seaton, Lukas Hill, and Nathan Wehr. All four students will be attending Vincennes University.

2018 STEM Challenge Winners

                    Precision Machining students placed first in two of the nine industry challenges at the annual STEM Challenge held at Oakland City University on April 20, 2018.
                    Pictured are Lucas Hill, Nathan Wehr, Zach Pancake and Chris Seaton with the two first place checks for $200 each.

2018 Skills USA Statewide Competition

         Nathan Wehr earned a bronze medal at the 2018 Skills USA Precision Machining competition on April 14, 2018, held at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis.
         Besides the medal, Wehr also won machinist tools. The senior plans to continue his education in the Precision Machining program at Vincennes University.

2018 INTMA Precision Machining Competition

           Precision Machining students competed in the 15th annual Indiana Chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association (INTMA) Statewide High School Machining Competition on February 17, 2018, held at the Central 9 Career Center in Greenwood, Indiana.
           Competing were Alonzo Barnes, Nathan Wehr (second place in Precision Machining) and Matthew Dick (third place in CNC Milling). Scholarships and machinist tools (seen in picture) were awarded as prizes.
       

Skills USA 2018 Regional Competition Winners

          The Precision Machining students placed first, second, fourth, and fifth in the Precision Machining area and second place in CNC Mill at Vincennes University on February 4, 2018.
          Pictured are, front row, Alonzo Barnes, Matthew Dick, Jade Yochim, and Carson Hoffman. Back row: Mason Sermersheim, Chris Seaton, and Nathan Wehr.
         

Students take first, second, and fifth places at SkillsUSA Region 4

Caleb Miller, a senior in Pike Central High School’s Precision Machining class, finished first at the SkillsUSA Region 4 Precision Machining Competition at Vincennes University on February 11, 2017.  Miller won a $2500 scholarship to VU.  

Nathan Wehr placed second and Zach Pancake placed fifth in the contest, receiving a $1000 scholarship to VU and a $500 scholarship, respectively.

The contest was held in the Haas Technical Education Center (HTEC) CNC machining lab at Vincennes University which hosted the regional SkillsUSA machining competition for high school students enrolled in machining programs in Southern Indiana.

The SkillsUSA Championships is the platform for the best career and technical students in the nation. Contests begin locally then continue through the state and national levels. More than 350 high school students and guests from southeastern and southwestern Indiana competed. The three students will advance to the State level contest held on April 22, 2017, at Indianapolis.

Busy 2016-17 First Semester

            The Precision Machining classes at Pike Central High School have been very busy.

            On September 16, the classes accompanied a group of students in the Haas Technical Education Center at Vincennes University to the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) at the McCormick Place in Chicago. This is the largest manufacturing show in North America and is only held every other year. While there wasn’t enough time to visit nearly all the several thousand vendors, the students saw a good number who demonstrated their products that are used in manufacturing and came away with a greater appreciation of the latest high tech machine tools and products.

            A new competition that the Precision Machining program intends to compete in this year requires teams of students to design and build a single-seat electric car and then compete in Greenpower USA’s race. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in conjunction with IndyCar and the GreenpowerUSA Foundation, is inviting teams of 33 high school students to design, build and race a single-seat, student-driven electric car on the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the 2017 race festivities. The high school teams, selected from participating programs across the United States, will be paired with Verizon IndyCar Series drivers for the famed 500 Mile Race in a competition that promotes STEM.

            The Pike Central program has attained partnerships/sponsorships with area businesses, including, at this time, Jasper Engines, Kimball Electronics, and IPL, to enable them to purchase the chassis kit from Greenpower UK. Students will have the opportunity to work with engineers and technicians from the sponsoring companies to assemble and modify the car, and prepare for the race.

            The annual Precision Machining Open House for interested students and parents was held November 30. This gave prospective students and their parents an inside look at the program and facilities.  

            Another activity was a tour of Jasper Engines on November 3. Pike Central Precision Machining students have interned at the company over the past three years and Jasper Engines has assisted students with their college expenses by purchasing required tools for the VU program.

            Also, on November 16, the classes toured the VU School of Technology programs, including Precision Machining, Welding, Computer Integrated Manufacturing, and Advanced Manufacturing. This gives the students the opportunity to see and hear about career choices post high school.

            Those who graduate from the VU programs start out earning $35,000 to $40,000 annually and can quickly increase that to $50,000 to $75,000+ as they gain experience.

            Precision Machining, which is in its seventh year at PCHS, prepares students for successful entry into the workforce or into the Vincennes University programs of Precision Machining and Advanced CNC Machining. The courses at PC are actual VU classes, so students can earn both high school credits and college credits of up to 12 hours at no expense. Essentially, classes of the first semester within the major are completed before students even arrive on campus.

            Any student interested in the Precision Machining program at PCHS should contact Mr. Scott in Room K-140, Email him at markscott@pcsc.k12.in.us, or talk to a guidance counselor.