Ag Mechanics
by Joshua Lee Smith
February 01, 2010
The coolest class that Hiawatha High School offers would be Ag Mechanics! The reason why it’s better than the rest of the classes is because students get to play with fire and do lots of hands on activities. But even when having fun in class, it is very important to follow the rules and to stay safe because there’s lots of dangerous equipment. Agriculture Mechanics is a course taught by instructor Mandy Kern.
For most of the hands on activities students must rely on their welding and mechanical skills. Lots of their projects use metal as a primary body. So they cut the metals, size them, bend them, and weld them to other metal pieces, until they get the whole body. Lots of the work the students do requires lots of places for bolts and screws, so they also have to drill through the metal which does take some time but is possible.
In class the students do lots of projects to keep records/grades on their performance. The small projects that they do consist of showing their beading skills with the welder. Larger projects like the one they just got finished with consists of a pick nick table and a trailer. Now they get to pick their own project and they can build it and keep it or sell it to gain a profit.
The whole room is filled with safety guidelines that everyone must follow in order to work in the shop. Lots of safe zones are color coded while unsafe zones and equipment are color coded too. This prevents the student from using equipment that is a danger to them and to others.
All students at HHS should try to take Ag Mechanics because no other class gives this much experience outside of class.
