Drafting Design Helps Build a Local Playground

The Drafting Design Program of LeCroy Career Technical Center along side of our Building Construction Program and Welding Program had the pleasure of assisting the City of Clanton in making several changes to the Children's Playground.

Members of the Chilton County Coalition and the Clanton City Council held a contest several years ago, at Clanton Elementary School where students were asked to come up with ideas for the name of the park.  The winner was Taylor Speaks and his name, “Gateway to Adventure.”


Later, The Drafting Design program held a similar competition allowing students to compete in designing an entrance that would best suit the parks new theme.  Cassie Samya of Jemison had the winning design.


The City of Clanton received grant money to help with the expansion of the Gateway To Adventure playground at the City Park from the Strategic Alliance For Health, a partnership of Sowing Seeds Of Hope and the Alabama Department of Public Health. The work is now complete. 
 


Pictured above: Cage Phillips with his brother, Stone. They are the children of Josh and Stacy Phillips and have a sister, Lonna Gray, who also enjoyed playing in the new addition to the City Park.

http://www.clantonadvertiser.com/2012/07/24/sowing-seeds-of-hope-in-chilton-county/2/

http://www.beachbecky.com/index.html/index.html/



Marketing Career Tech in Today's Culture

During this years annual Alabama Career / Technical Education Professional Development Conference at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center, LeCroy Career Technical Center's Administrator and CT Supervisor Tommy Glasscock and the Drafting Design Instructor Josh Phillips had the pleasure of teaching two classes to several of Alabama's CTE teachers and administrators.  The topic was focused on Marketing Career Technology to Today's Culture.  The class was a successful opportunity to inspire several teachers with ideas  to help increase student enrollment and attract support from a teacher's local community and industry.

Career Technical Education 

It's No Longer the Alternative to Education

It's the Model For Education

I guess you've noticed that Mr. Glasscock did not think to take any pictures of me (Josh Phillips) talking...

Guitar Design and Build Project

For most of this semester students from Drafting Design have been focusing on Guitars.

Instead of handing a student a book and just saying do this, my goal was to teach "project-based learning" by handing students guitars and the guitar parts, something they can hold in their hand. 

Projects like this allow students to be excited about learning Drafting Design.  Each student will learn skills like creative and critical thinking, sketching, alphabet of lines, measuring, geometry, scale, Multi-Views, Orthographic projection, Dimensioning, Isometrics, along with Computer Aided Drafting with AutoCAD 2012, AutoDesk Inventor, SolidWorks and Solid Edge.  Some of the students even learned CNC programing.

Dylan showing off the drawings that would be used in the marketing of his custom guitar

Each student has a chance to design a custom guitar.  If a student has a hard time coming up with a passion for this project, I bring one of my guitars or allow one of them to bring a guitar.  Guitars like the classics such as a Gibson Les Paul, Fender Stratocaster, or an Ibanez Jem.  We break down an existing guitar (not a classic) measuring each part.  Student will then draw each part in it's entirety at what ever level they are at in the program.  Some students draw Multi-Views and Isometrics with manual "board" drafting techniques, some draw utilizing CAD, drawing 2D and 3D.  Some of the students even learned CNC programing.  All students sketch out their ideas.  When the designs are complete, each student designs a marketing campaign similar to those found in magazines.  Their work is judged by guitar experts like builders, music store owners, talented players both young and old.  The best designs will have their projects built, (usually one from the morning class and one from the afternoon class).  This semester 26 students designed 26 unique guitars.  3 students designed marketing campaigns for existing guitar companies.

Student - Dylan Davis, Construction I Instructor - Jason Sosa,
Drafting Design Instructor - Josh Phillips

The guitar body was cut out of kiln dried cherry
on the CNC Machine (seen in background)

For the students that don't get picked as top design, If he or she wants to pay for the construction of their design to be built that is also acceptable.  The funding for this project comes from fund-raising.  Parts are also salvaged from old beat up guitars as well.    This project is a big project and could not have been finished as smoothly with out the help of Jason Sosa, the instructor of Construction I.






The career paths that designing and building guitars relate to are varied, careers like: Industrial Design, Graphic Design, Mechanical Engineering, Marketing, Construction, Electrical Engineering, etc...

Dylan even presented this project during this years state
Skills USA competition in Class Project Display.  However, WE did not win... :( 

2012 Graduating Seniors

Congratulations to all my graduating seniors.  It is always hard to see these guys and gals graduate.  Most of them have been with me for three years.  We've done several great projects, been to numerous competitions and field trips.  They've helped me with various fundraising projects and helped in giving back to the community.  Now it's time to watch them go on to college, their career and/or the military.  Good luck in all you do and know that Professor Phillips is always here to help in any way.  God Bless and God Speed.

 -Above: J. Phillips (Professor), C. Samya, K. Smith (Both from JHS), A. Johnson, C. Sherrill (Both from CCHS)


-Middle Right: B. Mims, B. Webb (VHS), D. Davis (CCHS) Professor Phillips, P. Salim, J.T. Allen (CCHS), B. Hayes (MHS) 


Not Pictured: A. Baker (CCHS) and S. Baker (THS)


-Below: ...

Straight from Einstein...

Most Teachers would never post this... BUT there's tons of examples of people being successful with out the help of our education system.

Drafting Design Wins 1st Place in Skills USA

Brandon Vickers, Preston Salim, Dylan Davis

The Drafting Design program of LeCroy Career Technical Center won 1^st place in Graphic Design – Shirt Division at the state SkillsUSA Competition held in Birmingham on April 25 and 26^th.  The shirt design was used as the state’s marketing campaign for this year’s conference.

  

Drafting Design Students Visit with Alabama's Governor Bentley

On April 20th, 2012, While Professor Phillips and 13 students were competing in Drafting Design competitions at ACE for Wallace Community College Selma, 2 other students had the opportunity to visit with Governor Robert Bentley.  Jesus Guizar and Savanah Rasberry along with several students from LeCroy Career Technical Center represented Career Technical Education around the state of Alabama while Governor Bentley signed a proclamation naming April 23-27 as "Alabama Skilled Trades Week" in support of his commitment to rebuild Alabama, recruit new businesses to the state and strengthen Alabama's infrastructure.  Each year "Alabama Skilled Trades Week" will be celebrated the last week of April in conjunction with the annual Alabama SkillsUSA Leadership Conference.


SOURCE Alabama Construction Recruitment Institute


For more information:


prnewswire.com news release


Go Build Alabama

SkillsUSA Alabama

Drafting Design Wins Big @ ACE Competition WCCS

A nervous group of students on their way to ACE Competition at Wallace Community College Selma to compete in 2 competitions Engineering and Mechanical Drafting




-Above: Mechanical 
"Board" Drafting


-Right Side: Engineering Computer Aided Drafting

- Below: Anxiety kicks in waiting on the beginning of the Awards Ceremony

- Right Side: J.T. Allen wins 1st in Mechanical Board Drafting


- Below: A. Baker wins 1st in Engineering Drafting

- Right Side: Professor Phillips gets a plaque with every 1st place win.

Below: B. Mims wins 2nd in Engineering Drafting

 

-Above: B. Vickers wins 2nd in Mechanical Drafting


-Left Side: B. Hayes wins 3rd in Mechanical Drafting


-Below: B. Schofield wins 3rd in Engineering Drafting 

Front Row L-R: Brandon Vickers (2^nd), Brandon Schofield (3^rd), John Tyler Allen (1^st), Alex Baker (1st), Brittany Hayes (3^rd) Blake Mims (2^nd). Back Row L-R: Megan Liveoak, Preston Salim, Curt Bost, Brad Sherrill, Joseph Duke, Grant Parry, and Austin Johnson   

 The Drafting Design program of LeCroy Career Technical Center was able to pull off a big win on April 20, 2012 winning 6 out of 6 trophies in two separate competitions at the annual ACE Competition at Wallace Community College Selma.  In Engineering Drafting (Computer Aided Drafting), Alex Baker of CCHS won 1st place, Blake Mims of VHS won 2nd place and Brandon Schofield of CCHS won 3rd place.  In Mechanical Drafting (Manual Board Drafting), John Tyler Allen of CCHS won 1^st place, Brandon Vickers of CCHS won 2nd place and Brittany Hayes of MHS won 3^rd place.  For winning first place, both A. Baker and J.T. Allen both won scholarships to Wallace Community College in Selma as well.  As always a million "thank you's" are extended to Mr. David Hobbs the Drafting Design instructor of Wallace Community College Selma for all the hard work that goes into these competitions.  They are always well ran.

Phillips Awarded Golden Apple Teacher of the Week

Every week during the school year, WAKA CBS 8 news anchor Jamie Langley of Montgomery, Alabama awards a deserving teacher the Golden Apple.  The recipients are typically nominated by students, fellow teachers, or parents.

This week, the honor was given to LeCroy Career Technical Center's Drafting Design instructor Josh Phillips. 

Professor Phillips was nominated by Preston Salim of Chilton County High School. Preston has been a faithful student of Drafting Design for 3 years. In that time he has competed in at least six different competitions.  Below Preston is being interviewed by WAKA's Mrs. Langley.

 
Click on the link below for the actual news brodcast.