Fun, technically: Crawford Tech celebrates students with field day

Jun. 3—A sea of gray shirted career and technical students formed a semi-circle around the dunk tank holding Crawford Tech HVAC technology teacher Dan Mealy as the school's field day kicked into high gear Friday morning.

The 25 feet or so separating the softball-throwing students and the teacher whose feet were dangling at water level was the precise range of the Super Soaker water blaster in Mealy's hands.

"The paddle's over here," Mealy shouted, gesturing toward the bull's-eye at the side of the tank.

His tone of friendly sarcasm hinted at his opinion of the high schoolers' aim as a softball impacted near the target: "Oh, you're getting closer now!"

A few steps away, another group of students made their way through a miniature golf course laid out on the floor of the school's carpentry shop. Designed and built by students in the program, the scene of youths putting, putting and putting again suggested Crawford Tech students are more proficient at miniature golf construction than they are at miniature golf itself.

Wandering past lines of more students competing in a corn hole tournament just outside the carpentry shop brought students to the "Radical Relay." Conceived by students from the school's SkillsUSA club, the race featured challenges representing all 17 of the school's programs. As teams competed, culinary arts students struggled to style the hair on a model's head; health occupations students labored to assemble sections of black pipe and elbow fittings; drafting students did their best to mount tires.

"It's a big celebration," said Laura Peterson, the school's counselor and dean of students. "They work hard all year. Our students, it's like they're employed while they're here. They're learning hard skills, they work hard and they're dedicated all year long."

The annual Crawford Tech field day event on Friday did more than just offer students a chance to soak their teachers and play some corn hole, according to Peterson. It offered students a chance to relax after a year of labor and encouraged cross-program camaraderie that isn't always possible with students focused on their individual programs.

"That's one of the reasons we got them all matching T-shirts," Peterson added. Even the foot-long hot dogs, cotton candy and ice cream provided for students contributed to the team building: Students typically eat lunch at their home schools in the Conneaut, Crawford Central and PENNCREST school districts.

And it's not every day students get to swing a putter in class.

The carpentry shop was transformed into a miniature golf course on Friday — a course designed and constructed by students in the program, instructor Dan Douglas said.

The project was a good test of skills for the students, according to Douglas. Not only did they have to come up with ideas for the various holes, which included the windmill any miniature golf aficionado would expect, they incorporated low platforms to elevate the holes, executed numerous types of cuts in constructing them and used leftover roofing felt for the "greens." The end result proved a good test for golfers, too: Douglas said the holes were playing a bit tougher than the class had anticipated.

Vanessa Waring, a Conneaut Area Senior High School senior who is an officer in the SkillsUSA club at Crawford Tech, helped come up with the "Radical Relay."

"Health occupations students will work on car parts, diesel guys will work on hair and makeup — it's a lot of fun stuff," Waring said as relay teams competed nearby. "All of the (SkillsUSA) officers wanted to do something to bring all the different shops into one race because there's so many different skills in each shop, we wanted to do something that would have them collaborate."

Waring herself is in the midst of completing the school's health occupations program, but she won't be leaving campus for long: She begins the adult practical nursing program in early August, the first step on a course she hopes will lead to an eventual career as a certified registered nurse practitioner.

"I've wanted to be a nurse ever since I was a kid," she said. "Tech just has a lot of positive memories and positive people and it really helps you grow in your chosen career that you want to go into."

Mike Crowley can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at mcrowley@meadvilletribune.com.