Picture courtesy of Copper Country Intermediate School District CTE Cam Rosenlund (Dollar Bay), Sheriff Brian McLean, Gabe Wuebben (Dollar Bay), and Welding/Manufacturing Instructor Tim Stites pose with the dueling tree presented to all local law enforcement personnel.

HANCOCK — Copper Country ISD Career & Technical Education (CTE) students have been working on a community project to assist local law enforcement to hone their marksmanship. CTE Welding and Manufacturing class students designed, fabricated, and built a custom dueling tree to be housed at a local gun range for local law enforcement to practice their craft. CTE students like Duane Peterson from Dollar Bay and Nick Olson from Chassell started the project last February, but progress halted when schools were shut down for the novel Coronavirus pandemic. This fall Dollar Bay students Cam Rosenlund and Gabe Wuebben picked up the project to bring it to completion and was presented to the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday, Oct. 13, to share among all local officers.

“I think this was a great community project on the (students) part, it’s nice that they think of others and appreciate others,” said Houghton County Sheriff Brian McLean, who was on hand to receive the dueling tree.

“The students did a fantastic job building something the Sheriff’s Department and other law enforcement personnel will use for a long time,” Tim Stites, CTE Welding and Manufacturing instructor said.

This project is another example of a win-win for the local community and CTE students from all of the CCISD schools who can recieve industry level experience they can take to local employers or wherever they end up.

“Students designed the dueling tree and components on the computer, machined the parts in the CTE lab, then put them all together in this outstanding finished product everyone can be proud of,” said Stites.

The high quality product was noted by McLean.

“The design elements are great, the angles are there to deflect the rounds coming into it, it’s very good quality and the materials are top notch,” he said.

The targets are made of AR 500 hardened steel, which was donated by Massie Manufacturing in Baraga. This donation again shows the commitment of local manufacturers to support students using industry grade materials in the CTE labs to be ready for whatever their next step is in the world.

You can learn more about the Welding and Manufacturing program as well as the other CTE programs by visiting their webpage at https://www.copperisd.org/career-technical-education or calling 906-482-4250 x300.