Family Connections

As this time of year approaches, many of us struggle with lost family connections this time of year. However, I learned something from this Welding student above, which is to make a product with one's hands to honor the memory of a loved one. This student, for his senior project, created a memorial plaque to place at his brother's resting place. This brother passed away a few years ago. This student was so proud of his work, and it really brought out his talent in the welding trade. It really shows how much one can tap into the love and emotions of our connections with people to bring out the talent they have.

Happy Holidays to all, and my hope for all members of the YCST family is for them to be able to spend time with some given or chosen family during this holiday season, to honor those who remain with us and those who have passed on.

Good Things

Although this holiday season has brought some painful realities to some of our families of origin and families of choice, I try to look at each new day with a positive attitude, remember the gifts that bless my life and the lives of our students. Our Welding and Collision Repair students combined to provide this metal tree to decorate our Man/Tran office for the holidays. Someone else in the academy has provided the lights, and I provided and ornament so far that I received as a gift from our director's secretary, Mrs. Merkert. This sight cheered me up as I strolled into the office this morning.

Then, I heard that our varsity basketball won their game against Littlestown last night by 2 POINTS!!! Awesome!!

Breakfast with Santa!

This past Saturday, many of the class advisors (Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Ms. Ludwig, Mr. Curtis, Mrs. Kessinger, Mrs. Hess, and Mrs. Stiger) worked with several students to put on a wonderful breakfast fundraiser to benefit the class accounts. Ms. Martin arranged for Santa and Mrs. Claus to attend for the many young children to have pictures taken with them (unfortunately, my own 15 month old son was too ready for a nap to have the patience to sit on a lap). It was great to see the turn out of the many faculty and staff members with their own children, grandchildren, parents, etc, plus the other members of the school community in attendance.

Thanks to all involved in the planning of this event.

Frosh Basketball

Picture this at last night's freshman boys' basketball game - 2 minutes left, score tied 26-26. The Spartans had been behind early in the 3rd quarter 18-6. What an amazing comeback! Bermudian did end up winning 30-26, but these guys played a great last couple quarters. Man/Tran student, Argenis Rivera Rodriguez looked great as one of the point guards.

I can't wait for the JV and Varsity games tonight!

Water Based Paints

This picture is not the best, but it show an employee from Dupont in our Collision Repair shop, demonstrating how to use the new water-based paints. The regulations for using water-based paints come into effect in the next couple years, and Dupont has donated product and time very generously to Mr. Heidler and our students. It was really fantastic to see them very interested and learning from these professionals.

Bowling Team Wins!!!

On Friday night, our Bowling team won against Antietam at our first home match of the season. And the best part is that 3 of the 4 students mentioned in the news article linked below are Man/Tran students: Cheyanne Brown - Diesel, Matt Shoemaker - Welding, and Zach Leiphart - Metal Machine.

Great job York Tech Bowling!!!

http://www.gametimepa.com/ci_16831614?IADID=Search-www.gametimepa.com-www.gametimepa.com

Gifts from Welding

I am so blessed to occasionally get to display work from the different shop areas. These two items pictured above were both presented to me this week.

This project on the left is one of those flag holders that one might place in a yard. Students in Mr. Yarrison's class are creating these items to sell at the AWS Car Show in the spring. One of the students who worked on this was Tyler Little.

The second project was a creation of Mr. Seitzer and J.D. Miller yesterday afternoon (after school hours, no less). It's a beautiful metal holiday wreath that's now hanging in my office.

Meet the Team Night for Winter Sports

Last night was Meet the Team night for winter sports. In the top picture, you see Mr. Caruso giving his opening address to the audience. Behind him, the attentive young men sitting there are the members of the boys' basketball teams and the wrestling team.

In the bottom picture, you see coaches organizing their players in their places prior to the start of the event. The teams pictured there are the bowling team (the only PIAA bowling team in York County!!) and the wrestling team.

Some Man/Tran students who are members of winter teams are listed below. These are just the ones I remember seeing last night.

Bowling: Zach Moore (Collision) and Henry Lillich (Power Equip)

Freshman Basketball: Dalmar Dickson (Welding)

Wrestling: Ben Aldinger (Auto), Kurt Lippy (Auto), and Jordan Dehoff (Welding)

I truly look forward to seeing our athletes in action starting over the next several weeks.

Academics

So often, I highlight activities in the technical classrooms or other extracurricular activities. However, one very important (almost the most important) aspect of our students' education here is what happens in the academic classroom. Pictured here is an American Cultures II class, with Ms. Lenz (in the picture) and Ms. Martin. These students are completing a guided reading activity, which not only helps them to learn the content but also helps them improve their reading skills. Thanks to our teachers for providing these structured academic activities to help all students improve!