Sentinel Career and Technology Center again is helping to spread holiday cheer with area elementary school students.
This week, the center is hosting its 15th annual "Santa's Workshop" for area third-graders. Students from Calvert, Krout, Noble, Old Fort and Washington elementary schools are visiting the career center, thanks to busing provided by Vanguard-Sentinel.
Three Sentinel programs are involved in the effort.
Article Photos
PHOTO BY JILL GOSCHE
Jackson Cook (left), a Calvert Elementary School third-grader, makes an ornament with assistance from Bryce Kubasek, a junior in Sentinel Career and Technology Center’s horticulture program and at Bridges Community Academy, Tuesday afternoon.
The precision machining program helps students make crystal ornaments with its machining center, and the horticulture program helps them decorate copper ornaments they make in the electrical trades program. At the conclusion of the program, children receive a popcorn ball courtesy of Tiffin Lions Club.
The career center gets many items donated, said Tom Renninger, electrical trades instructor.
"I wouldn't want to change any of it. ... (It has) tremendous support from our management," he said.
Renninger, who started "Santa's Workshop," said many of his students at the career center remember the program from when they were third-graders, and he has cards they gave him from when they participated in it. He said the mother of one of his students still hangs up the ornament her son made when he attended "Santa's Workshop."
This year, Renninger had a grandchild participate in the program for the first time. His granddaughter, Leah Renninger, was among the group of Calvert third-graders who visited the career center Tuesday.
It was a joy to watch the smile on her face and on the faces of her friends, he said. Although she is like the rest of the students, she is "still a little more special," he said.
Jackson Cook, a Calvert third-grader, said his favorite part of "Santa's Workshop" was making a sleigh ornament out of copper because he got to see it being welded. Cook, who used pipe cleaners to decorate it, said it was the first time he ever had seen something welded.
Cook also got to play trivia.
"Everything was fun," he said.
