Learning beyond books, lectures

“It’s important to see it first-hand, to have a point of reference to take back to Harrisburg,” Ferencak said.

Instead of tours of English and physics classes, the tour highlighted the district’s agriculture and horticulture program – the only one in the county.

Carly Rippole, one of two program instructors, took the representatives through labs and the school’s greenhouse to explain how students use their hands-on learning to develop practical skills after graduation.

“We are a full-service florist so a lot of the labs my students do are actually customer orders,” Rippole said.

Students in the horticulture program are able to take their new knowledge in flower selection and arrangements and use it to fulfill orders from customers in the community. Students have made arrangements for occasions ranging from weddings and baby showers, to even homecoming and graduation.

The floral shop and greenhouse businesses not only allow students to practice their craft, but learn the business aspect of the operation.

“So, I have to teach my kids, ‘This is what we’re charging, this is what our wholesale bill was, are we going to make a profit on this?’” Rippole said. “It’s real life and I kind of like putting them under pressure.”

Rossi said it was great students got to hone their craft and learn how to work for a business but asked if anything was being done to teach them how to open their own business.

“When I talk to girls, they’re like, ‘Oh, I just want to work for someone, I don’t want to do it,’ and I didn’t feel like they knew how to open a business,” Rossi said.

Rippole said students complete a large business project in the winter which requires them to create a business proposal complete with a mock inventory. On top of the writing aspect, students must design a storefront and prepare a blueprint of the store.

“It’s intense, it takes a long time,” Rippole said.

Over on the greenhouse side, students must care for plants and vegetables, some of which are grown through aquaponics and raised beds. Some of those vegetables will be donated to the Westmoreland Food Bank, with the rest finding its way onto lunch trays in the cafeteria.

Cooper called the program “exciting” and said it was good to see students getting practical experience in and out of the classroom.

Back in the joint high school and middle school, the representatives got to talk with a few students in the district’s life skills program.

The program, which started back up at Derry Area around seven years ago, provides students with disabilities with a learning environment catered to their needs. The classes help students with their educational needs with the added benefit of preparing them for life after graduation.

The district also works hard to make sure the students are integrated with their peers and spending time with friends.

The representatives got to meet with around 10 students working on a variety of course work. Cooper took time to learn a little about one student and help her with an assignment on nouns and adjectives.

Across the hall, the district showed off its maker and robotics labs. The labs provide students with the opportunity to conceptualize, design and print any number of objects.

David Vinopal, a computer science teacher, showed off some of the students’ latest work, 3D printed cookie cutters. The cookie cutters need to not only be well designed for their shape but strong enough to be used multiple times, Vinopal said.

Vinopal showed off one of the cookie cutters that was just tested and broke. He explained how that was a good thing for the student.

“He saw his design, it completely snapped in like four places and then it’s that learning process of ‘OK, what did I do wrong?’” Vinopal said.

The access to 3D design software and printers allows the students to go back, make immediate changes to improve the design and by the next day have another one ready to test.

On the robotics side, an adjoining lab room, students do much of the same in designing a robot but then it branches from there into more manufacturing and programming. Here, students need to design robots to perform a specific task that can either be controlled by a human or programmed to work on its own.

The program also uses aerial- and ground-based drones in its lessons.

“The kids are the reason the robot works or it doesn’t,” Vinopal said. “They design everything.”

Both Cooper and Rossi said they were impressed by what they were shown and would be taking the experience back with them as they make decisions on the House floor.

Rossi, a 1988 Derry Area Senior High School graduate, said it was great to see how the district has modernized since then.

“I just love that they have the agriculture here and then they have the (3D printing) over there,” Rossi said. “So there’s something for everyone that you could find something that you’re going to build your future on.”

Both Rossi and Cooper hope the opportunities will lead to a more experienced workforce here in the county and Pennsylvania.

“You want (students) to be excited to come here, expose them to different jobs that exist and keep them here in Pennsylvania,” Cooper said. “Keep them here so they can make a difference in our communities.”