About Austin Polytech
| Austin Polytechnical Academy is an engineering- and manufacturing-focused public high school on Chicago's West Side.
Thanks to over 60 partner companies, our students learn about the many different career opportunities in manufacturing through field trips, guest speaker visits, job shadowing opportunities, internships, and more.
Austin Polytech is a project of the Chicago Manufacturing Renaissanc Council. Our career program is operated by the Center for Polytechnical Education.
www.austinpolytech.com
|
Join our Newsletter List
| Sign up to receive e-mail updates from Austin Polytechnical Academy, including our monthly newsletter Tech Talk.
You can also choose to receive updates from the Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council and the Chicago Academy for Advanced Technology.th
|
Support our Students
| It takes more than a traditional high school budget to help our students engineer their futures.
We need to invest in our world class machine shop, college- and career-prep program, and work-based projects and activities.
For example, our After School Matters beverage marketing team needs $800 to brand and sell their new product.
Please help by sending us a check, made out to the Center for Polytechnical Education, at 3411 West Diversey, Suite 10, Chicago, Illinois 60647.
You can also contribute online securely through PayPal by clicking below:
|
Contact Us
| The career program at Austin Polytech is operated by the not-for-profit Center for Polytechnical Education.
If you have any questions about Tech Talk or Austin Polytech, please call our office at 773-634-5300 ext. 46326.
|
|
Austin Polytech awards its first NIMS Metalforming credential!
| On June 3, APA Junior Brittany Trotter sat down at the computer in the
Manufacturing Technology Center to take her Metalforming Level 1
exam. One hour later, she became APA's first student to earn a
nationally-recognized industry credential through the National
Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS).
Machining instructor Tom O'Brien has been working closely with 20 students in the past few months to prepare for the exam. This is an important first step for Austin Polytech's NIMS credentialing program, which will
soon also train students for their CNC Operator and Measurement,
Materials, and Safety credentials.
"My mom
always encouraged me to keep my options open," Brittany said, "so I figured if I took
this exam it will help me get a step ahead." Congratulations, Brittany!
|
Juniors take to the streets for peace
| On May 19, 120 APA juniors took to the streets - for peace! The Peace Parade represented the final step in a junior class project that
captured the hearts and minds of students.
When
asked who they were marching for, junior Stranja Burge replied, "We
walked for everybody, because everyone has or knows someone who has
experienced violence."
Violence is an all-too-common experience
in the lives of many young people on Chicago's West Side. Many have lost
parents, siblings, relatives, friends and
neighbors to violence. Students marched with teachers, parents and
local community leaders to show their commitment to a peaceful
community, and to honor the memory of lost loved ones.
When asked why is
there so much violence in their community, students cited peer pressure, lack
of self control, unemployment, and a lack of positive role models.
|
Freshmen visit Overton Gear
| On June 2, a group of APA freshmen visited Overton Gear, one of the world's premier gear manufacturers serving
the wind turbine, railroad locomotive, off-shore drilling, and aviation
industries. The group also welcomed Mrs. Wordlaw, an APA grandmother who joined them on the trip.
The students were awed by the gears
and equipment in the Overton facility -- some gears were as wide as 6
feet! They also learned that gear teeth are cut with specialized tool called a "hob," which can
cost as much as $13,000. Special thanks to
Mr. Kevin Brown and his team at Overton for an exciting and educational tour!
|
Johnson Controls brings mentoring team to APA
| Below, APA student Fashon
Johnson meets with Andrea Harris (Sr. Human Resorces Representative) and Michael
Bentley (General Manager of Compressor Operations) of Johnson Controls. Both Ms. Harris and
Mr. Bentley participated in a mentoring group that met with
APA students on May 26.
Fashon and other Skills USA students had lots
of questions about how their mentors from Johnson Controls progressed their
careers. The mentoring team also met with 10 select freshman students.
The mentors met with students in small groups of 2 or 3, and students had a chance to discuss their career aspirations and ask questions. Special thanks to Johnson Controls, which plans to continue the mentoring program with seniors beginning in Fall 2010.
|
|
|
