KACC Welding Project Comes to Fruition
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As an instructor, nothing gives me more satisfaction than to see students master techniques and produce a finished product one can be proud to call their own.
Over the past 16 years, students have come and gone, but many have had some part in the final outcome of our KACC Globe Project. That's right - 16 years!
Why did it take so long? I have no reason other than no one put a timeline on this project - not even myself. I'm actually glad it took so long because so many more students were a part of this globe. They can look at it and say, "I had a part in that." For me, as an instructor, I was able to utilize the project to share specific skills and develop those students' talents.
The globe, is a symbol of Kankakee Area Regional Vocational Education System (KARVES) which is the entity overseeing Career and Technical Education, including the Career Center, throughout all of Kankakee County as well as parts of Iroquois and Will Counties. The Logo for KARVES and KACC is a globe, with the KARVES Globe motto saying it best - Preparing for a Global Market - a testament to our philosophy here at KACC where we are Preparing Students for Tomorrow!
The globe's outer structure, which is 14 feet high, contains the globe measuring 8 feet in diameter, is constructed primarily of stainless steel. At the top center of the globe, we were able to fit the words Kankakee Area Career Center within the outer ring surrounding the globe. I admit, we ran into a stumbling block when it came to fitting in other words in the lower half. The little bit of Latin I do know gave me an idea...What if we came up with something in Latin which was appropriate and fit in the available space? I approached Kathy Copper (former Learning Center Tutor)with this idea. Kathy helped tremendously by researching various Latin phrases. We concurred on the phrase "IN OMNIA PARATUS."
A little culture in the welding industry is a good thing! If you want to know what it means, feel free to look up what it means.
We've had tremendous help and support with this project from the very start, so I extend my sincere thanks to all the KACC students, to all the people who believed in us that some day, this project would come to fruition, as well as the following:
Chicago Bridge and Iron
Donation of various pieces of stainless steel along with forming processes
Illinois Fabricators
Donation of materials and powder-coating process of letters
Peddinghause
Donation of steel
James Wasser
Donation of Lighting and Light Installation
KACC Collision Repair Class & Chris Morse, Instructor
Painting all the longitude and latitude markers
Nucor Steel (Chuck Nowack) and
Carroll Distributing (Rob Strand)
Donation of Re-bar for the base
Alexander Equipment Rental (Jerry Alexander)
Loan of crane
Kankakee Community College
Highway Construction Careers
Training Program I.D.O.T.
John Willard - Program Coordinator
Tony Cooper - Instructor
Curt Rolston - Instructor
and all the students who dug, formed and paved the concrete base and installed the globe.
Thanks to each and every one of you!!!!!