Fulton Journal • Tuesday, Oct 25, 2022
FULTON BEAT
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FULTON
Students gain experience with high school office project LEFT: Fulton High School carpentry and construction students have been helping remodel a former classroom into a secure main office and nurse’s station. BELOW: Electrician Chad DeRudder with Tri-City Electric Company teaches carpentry students about electric installation Oct. 20.
By SARAH FORD OFFICE 113-115 Peoria Ave. Dixon, IL 61021 SUBSCRIPTIONS In Whiteside County 24 months - $50 12 months - $30 Remainder of Illinois, Iowa 24 months - $68 12 months - $41 Remainder of United States 24 months - $79 12 months - $48 Single-copy price is $1 To subscribe, make a payment or discuss your delivery, call 815-632-2520 Monday through Friday or send an e-mail to wnsnews@shawmedia.com. CLASSIFIED SALES classified@shawlocal.com Classified Ad Deadline: Thursday at 4 p.m. HELP WANTED employment@shawlocal.com LEGAL NOTICES sauklegals@shawlocal.com OBITUARIES saukobits@shawlocal.com Deadline for obituaries is Monday at 9 a.m. News Sarah Ford wnsnews@shawmedia.com Advertising Sales 815-632-2554 Publisher Jennifer Heintzelman 815-632-2502 jheintzelman@shawmedia.com The FULTON JOURNAL (USPS No. 211-940) is published weekly by Sauk Valley Media, Shaw Media. Periodical postage paid at Fulton, Illinois, 61252 POSTMASTER Send address changes to: The Fulton Journal P.O. Box 31, Morrison, Illinois, 61270 All rights reserved. Copyright 2022
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Fulton High School construction class students are getting an authentic learning experience this year thanks to a hands-on project that will yield beneficial results for the whole district. A former classroom and teacher’s lounge is getting new life as a secure main office and nurse’s station, with the school’s construction and carpentry classes involved in every aspect of the remodel. “It’s a great experience for students to learn the ins and outs of construction trades,” said Principal Bob Gosch, crediting the students for their “phenomenal work” with other projects such as building the school’s garden beds, fencing, pavilion and making a hut for downtown events. The office project started outside over the summer, first with new concrete and installation of a Hartz Lock Co. exterior door for the main entrance. A secure entrance adds another layer of protection for the school since all visitors will need to be “buzzed in” before entering. The new main office will be right next to the school entrance, instead of down the hall. The office remodel would’ve been a costly endeavor with outside companies, so when construction class teacher Jason Snyder approached Gosch about having the work done by students, they started the process to make it happen. Having students help gives them in-the-field experience and saves the district money, other than cost of materials. The work is being done by the “Intro to Construction” class consisting of entry level freshmen and sophomores, plus the
NEWS BRIEF River Bend School District seeking feedback
River Bend School District is seeking feedback from all its constituents. The district is working on completing a profile on what characteristics a graduate from Fulton High School should possess. A committee of teachers, parents and school board members has begun this process and has identified five Success Indicators for the profile. These indicators are: Personal Development, Cultural Competence, Effective Communicators, Career Readiness and Innovative Thinkers. We need you to help us determine which characteristics fit best under those five Success Indicators by filling out this simple survey at https://bit.ly/3VKyCXY by Oct. 31. The survey is also on the district website’s home page www.riverbendschools.org. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Kathleen Schipper at kschipper@riverbendschools.net.
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carpentry class for second-year students, who have “more experience and knowledge and are competent enough to be working on more aspects of the project,” Gosch said. A volunteer electrician with Tri-City Electric Company taught the students about running electric lines, data cables, and general wiring on Thursday, Oct. 20. Electrician Chad DeRudder drove in from Davenport to lead the classes and help install electric after all the framework was completed. “It’s nice seeing kids get into the trade. They’re the next generation so I’m glad to be a part of it and volunteer to help. We hope it sparks interest in a career and helps them get into the industry and thrive. It’s a good career,” DeRudder said. Besides the electric work, the students will be doing drywall, flooring, windows, building cabinets and installing the lights. One student even went to Tri-City Electric to get more experience with drafting and
architecture through the Community Involvement Program. Gosch hopes that the hands-on learning will contribute to future employment in the construction trades, calling it an “authentic career experience.” The team of teachers and students have a few more months of work before it’s complete, but now they’ll have lights and warmth for the fall and winter sessions.
Fulton Meat Market still cooking out
Mike VanDamme and Tasha Ross of Fulton are pictured with their new bully puppies, sisters Yoda and Baby, while stopping by for lunch at Fulton Meat Market on Saturday, Oct. 22. The market’s last cookout of the season is on Saturday, Oct. 29. Sarah Ford for Shaw Media