Drafting Instructor Rex Rush, Centers Director JC Kimble and Master Chef Gary Cardelein.

On Wednesday, February 26, the New Martinsville Rotary met for their weekly meeting at The Court Restaurant.

President Dan Mason opened the meeting and welcomed JC Kimble, director of the Wetzel County Tech Center. In addition to Kimble, resident instructors Rex Rush and Master Chef Gary Cardelein were present to give updates on their work at the center.

Kimble gave a review of the progress made in bringing two innovative programs drafting and mechanical art and the Pro- Start Culinary program to the center. He said the programs have been well received and are making a difference in the students who are enrolled in them.

He explained that the students who are studying at the center are eager to be part of the programs. In fact, he said that they enjoy the challenge of the crafts they are learning.

Rush spoke about a recent project presented to them by Covestro. The centers’ drafting and welding students recently participated in the manufacturing innovation challenge, a collaborative project with Covestro. The challenge involved designing and fabricating a bin to collect discarded materials. Students worked together to create the most effective and cost-efficient design. Upon completion, they presented the finished project to Covestro’s engineering team.

Cardelein spoke about the new culinary center. It has been designed to give students real world opportunities to gain experience in cooking skills for both professional use and personal knowledge. The center hopes the program will be able to offer services to any local organization that may need the skills of the students.

The three gentlemen spoke for nearly 30 minutes and it was obvious that each of them truly enjoys their position and the opportunity to help and work with students from Wetzel and nearby counties to achieve education in future fields that will serve them beyond high school.