With the need for skilled workers at near-historic levels, employers and students alike have something to celebrate in the Rocket Academy – a hands-on technology lab of the Cedar Grove-Belgium School District. The academy, dedicated in a Thursday evening ceremony, is now housed in a Village of Belgium building which, given its modest exterior, gives little indication of what’s inside. That would be the devices, many of them a marriage of computers and machines, that populate the lab, and are the foundation of modern manufacturing.
Educational Industrial Equipment Populates the Rocket Academy. Photo by Kevin Zimmermann
Chad Brakke, the former Superintendent of the Cedar Grove-Belgium School District, returned to the community to anchor the ceremony opening the institution that was developed largely on his watch. Brakke noted the efforts of the many who, among other things, wrote – and then re-wrote grant proposals, Lakeshore College that participates in the dual-enrollment curriculum through which students earn college credits before graduation, and the parents, volunteers and staff of the School District that worked hard to get the Academy off the ground. Brakke accurately summarized the feelings of the audience, saying: “…and I’ve gotta be honest, it’s a dream come true, and I’m humbled by the turnout of all of you being here today.”
Community Members Check Out Equipment at the Rocket Academy in Belgium, Part of the Cedar-Grove Belgium School District. Photo by Kevin Zimmermann
Rocket Academy Governance Board President, Michael Dietrich, called the process of creation “truly a master class in collaboration”. Academy Director, David Friend, described entry into the program as a “leap of faith” for those students and their parents choosing to leave the traditional educational system in order to enter the unique apprenticeship program. But Friend happily announced that another five have registered for the school in just the past week, setting the stage for a bright future, something echoed by Dietrich, who said: “…so, ready for the next ten – twenty years…the Rocket Academy!
Equipment at the Rocket Academy. Photo by Kevin Zimmermann
Workstations at the Rocket Academy. Photo by Kevin Zimmermann
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