Oregon School for the Deaf teacher, James Smith, brought a fresh, new vision to prepare graduates for employment.  But he needs a professional grade piece of technical equipment to do that.

More and more, the construction and manufacturing industries depend on technology.  These businesses are in need of workers who know how to operate Computer Numeric Control (CNC) systems.  As of this writing, there are 142 businesses seeking workers with knowledge of CNC operation listed on the Oregon Department of Employment’s statewide job listing, with entry level pay ranging from $15 to $25 an hour.

In CNC production, the item or product is designed on a computer, then sent electronically to a “robotic” router head that can cut, drill, machine and carve (even 2 and 3 dimensional) a variety of materials—wood, plastics, metals, etc.  CNCs can produce items that are consistently precise and of high quality.  They improve productivity by reducing waste, frequency of errors, and the time required to get the finished product to market.

Check out our 2017 ShareTank Video: https://youtu.be/zFhCyptsPlc

To see a CNC router in action, go to: https://youtube.com/UFTJts0KvHc

But, CNC systems are expensive, and the School’s budget could not support such a large purchase.  James sought the help of Friends of OSD (FOSD) to bring his vision to reality.  FOSD awarded this project over $20,000 which it raised over two years and assisted OSD in tapping a special state fund to purchase and install the CNC system this September!

Karen Brush’s request for up to $830 to take 15-20 students to the Washington School for the Deaf for the Flying Hands competition was approved.

Melinda Callegos’ request for  $360 for a Middle School field trip of 31 students and 9 adults to view the movie “Wondestruck” was approved.  Their English classes have been reading this book in preparation.  It is a rare opportunity for students to see a female, deaf, middle-school-aged protagonist in a movie version of a book they have read.

Beth Fertig’s request for  $456.93 to purchase more stools and balls for student seating was granted.  This equipment has been proven to benefit students by helping them to modulate their sensory systems, so that their behavior and attention is improved for greater academic success.