Kid builders

Maybe the only thing Roy Ward loves more than teaching the kids a trade or guiding them through Webster Tech’s advanced machine shop is doing it himself.

Give him a chance and he’ll sneak out the back of the Tiger Tech shop to the Tech’s third home and paint, foam or chalk.

“I love to work on it myself and I really love seeing things get done,” said Ward.

Tiger Tech is the envelope name for the variety of experiences coming out of the Webster High School shop.
There’s Tiger Manufacturing, which includes machine work and welding; Tiger Construction, which includes building homes for sale to the community and much more.

On a day this week, Ward took his potential welders through questions they may be facing on an upcoming test. The tests aren’t easy, but if students seriously want to be welders, they’ll take the tests seriously.

“Some of them are trying to get their certificate,” said Ward. Others will take it even further and eventually, some of his students may enter a field that is begging for welders. “There are lots of great opportunities both locally and if they want to travel,” said Ward.

From building homes to helping make cabinets to finishing parts for other companies, the Tiger Tech facility is usually buzzing with activity.

But Ward will be the first to emphasize nothing would get down without a bevy of volunteers — up to six on a weekly basis.

Most of the volunteers get their hands dirty on the projects and there’s an advisor group of construction crews, contractors and others who address the needs of the house construction.

For instance, “When we need help they talk about who we can get to tape the house … they throw out names,” and eventually the needs are filled.

There are a lot of donations and orders that help the program, but Ward finds the big difference in making Tiger Tech successful are people who, “Make time for it, those who want to help.”

Take Craig Honeysett for instance. On a day when Ward was tied up with other duties, Honeysett was in the house with the students and he liked what he saw. He said the kids were, “Sheetrocking the walls and trying to polish up,” the inside of the new home.

Tiger Construction builds a home every-other-year. This is their third one and Ward expects to see it completed by the end of the current school year.

“Two electricians donate their time, there are contractors, lots of helpers,” said Ward. “This is my fourth year of helping,” said Honeysett. “The volunteers just make time for it,” says Ward.

The home itself is constructed by the students and the volunteers, “But we don’t put in the floors or countertops,” said Ward. That will be left for the party who purchases the home.

However, a fireplace is being installed and will be finished before the home is sold.

When they get close to finishing the home, it will be advertised for sale. “We have a minimum bid in mind,” said Ward. The bank handles the transaction and requires 10 percent down when the bid is submitted.

The Webster School Board will open the bids and make the award to one of the bidders.

The last time they built a house they had three bidders. The first time, just one.

One of the homes constructed out of the Tiger Tech shop is located in Webster, another in Siren. “It’s nice to know they’re around here,” said Ward. He admits to getting a special warm feeling inside when he drives past one of the homes.

Whether it’s working on the home, using the variety of machines in the shop, or developing knowledge of trades like welding, the kids of Webster are getting real, hands-on, life-long experience.

“We’re giving them exposure to a variety of fields in construction. I feel that exposure helps them make a good decision (for their future).

Sometimes, while in Tiger Tech, students decide not to pursue any of these fields. “Then, five to 10 years down the road they come back to it,” said Ward.

His goal is simple. “It’s to give them a taste of everything to see what trade they want. It’s good to give kids a chance to see what it’s like.” He claims, “It’s a good thing, whether they love it or not.”

It’s not the quantity of kids from Webster Tech that matters to Ward. “It’s the quality of how they work together as a team that matters,” he said.

There are a lot of what Ward calls, “neat experiences” at Tiger Tech, but, “Not everyone gets them all.”

On a daily basis, kids may spend 45 minutes or an hour and a half framing, wiring shingling or a variety of other things.

Inside the shop are intricate machines. Ward put one of them through the paces of engraving a large block of wood that looked like a huge cribbage board. After programming the machine, it began whirling and buzzing, engraving the name of a business owner on the large cribbage board. “We do projects for companies,” he said. And obviously, some of the Tiger Tech graduates are gobbled up by local companies.

Some of them, like Nexen of Webster or McNally’s of Grantsburg, have not only been huge supporters of the program, but they count on Webster students to help create products they use in their business.

Inside the shop, the kids learn to program the machines that pump out products. “The kids learn to program the robot,” Ward chuckled.
“This may be a small school — but you can still learn a lot (here),” Ward smiled.

So much more

Roy Ward takes many other opportunities to help kids as well.

He’s held an on-line flight school that helps local pilots fly. “ A few kids have become pilots,” he said.

Also on his plate has been a pre-engineering one-line course where kids create 3D models and assemble things. They take a certification test and become a Certified Solidworks Associate It’s part of working on a two-year degree in tech school.

A Skills Course Ward helps last year produced two students who advanced to national competition in power mechanics. Both Mason Getts, a freshman at the time and Evan McKee, a sophomore at that time advanced to nationals. Getts took fifth and McKee 13th in the huge competition.

“That was pretty high. It was really neat to go to Madison — then all the way to Louisville. It’s kinda neat,” said Ward.

So what’s the bottom line at Tiger Tech? Well, Ward said it best.

“If you want a career, here you get a good head start.”