Over the sounds of 3-D printers, mini CNC mills, and laser engravers, you could hear Luxemburg-Casco High School students thoroughly enjoying the opportunities they have in their Fab Lab classroom.

Since the start of the school year, the district has added five new pieces of equipment to its technical education arsenal. Chief among those is the Fenceless ER-4iA robotic arm, one of the largest in the industry and a sign of the investment the district and its community partners are putting into the technical education program at the high school. In addition to the community donations and district funding, Luxemburg-Casco received a $25,000 grant from the state’s Department of Workforce Development as a part of its Fast Forward program. Director of Learning Services Mike Snowberry says the students’ interest in its Fab Lab courses has only grown, increasing from 74 to 102 students in the last school year alone.

Technical Education Teacher Will Simonar is tasked with helping guide his students through the pieces of equipment, doing everything from embroidering backpacks and producing vinyl stickers to laser engraving coffee mugs and creating wooden lake depth maps. He is thankful for the support they have received to install cutting-edge equipment so his students can get a taste of the future that could be ahead of them.

The district has invested heavily in providing opportunities for students to find a career path before moving on to college. In recent years, they have established the Ahnapee Diesel, Ahnapee Auto, and Bellin Health Academy programs. They are still trying to put the pieces together to establish a new construction program.