Student Spotlight Thursday, March 15, 2018 • The Times Business & Industry Review
Section 1
The Times | Tom Sistak
Jasper Banister works during his after-school job at KPI Machining Inc., in Sheridan. The 18-year-old is a senior at Serena High School, and has lived south of Serena his entire life. Banister shows a part made from stock that he drew and machined.
Jasper Banister
‘He never draws attention to himself’ Serena senior doesn’t let hearing loss affect studies, work Mike Murphy mikem@mywebtimes.com 815-431-4031
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he only clue Serena High School senior Jasper Banister is hearing-impaired is the hearing aid he wears in his right ear. At school, his situation isn’t much of an issue. “Sometimes people forget, because it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal,” said Banister, who was born completely deaf in that right ear. And if anyone is going to bring up Banister’s situation, it won’t be him. “It’s never been an issue. He never draws attention to himself,” said David Hughes, Banister’s calculus teacher. Banister’s day-to-day activities draw the attention more than his medical condition. “Nothing seems to bother him. He’s a great kid to have in class, and I wish we had more like him,” Hughes added. Between band, sports and working after school at a machine shop, the 18-year-old lifelong rural Serena resident keeps pretty busy. Anyone looking for Banister on afternoons in the halls of his school could have difficulty. After taking classes in the morning, he leaves campus and drives a few miles east to Sheridan, where he works at KPI
‘Human nature makes you think you’ll want to do as little as possible to get the job done. Jasper is very patient. ... He does more than we expect.’ eric pine, KPI vice president Machining Inc. The shop, which has seven fulltime employees, learned Banister might be interested in working there. “We do some work with the company his dad works for. We were getting really busy and his dad said Jasper might be interested. So he came in for an interview and we hired him,” said Scott Carpenter, KPI president and director of quality control and sales. The machine shop makes equipment and machine components. Banister began working there last summer as a general helper. He now operates and sets up machines, and is beginning
to learn how to program machines. “He was interested in engineering, which got his foot in the door rather than being just a kid needing a job,” said Eric Pine, KPI vice president and production manager. Banister’s job is influencing his post-high school career interests. He hopes to attend Waubonsee Community College, Sugar Grove, and earn an associate’s degree in engineering. After that, he’s looking to earn a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Southern Illinois University. “Working at the machine shop kind of influenced me in that field. I like to know the ‘why’ as to what I’m doing at the machine shop.” he said. Pine said Banister quickly was able to learn how to operate a manual machine, and he had advanced beyond an entry-level job at the shop. “Human nature makes you think you’ll want to do as little as possible to get the job done,” Pine said. “Jasper is very patient. He surprises us. He does more than we expect.” Banister’s work efforts sometimes show up at school. “He will bring in some math problems he tries to work out with his boss. He’ll do great in college,” Hughes said.
See banister, page 5