Photo courtesy of Copper Country ISD Career & Technical Education (From left) Houghton senior Tucker Ryynanen, CTE Welding/Manufacturing Instructor Tim Stites, CTE Automotive Technology David Narhi, and Jeffers senior Aiden Snell pose with their pull behind ice resurfacing prototype created by students and staff to donate to the local rink in Oscar.

HANCOCK — Copper Country ISD Career & Technical Education (CTE) staff and students from the Automotive Technology and Welding/Manufacturing programs teamed up to design, manufacture, and build a working prototype for a local community ice rink.

According to David Narhi, CTE Automotive Technology Instructor, the prototype will help the community in Oscar with resurfacing their ice leaving behind a smooth surface for those using the facility. Essentially, this is a pull-behind Zamboni that will connect to a hose and leave a clean sheet of ice.

The idea came from Narhi, but the real magic and problem solving were teachers’ and students’ team effort. Aiden Snell from Jeffers and Tucker Ryynanen from Houghton High School are dual-enrolled in CTE Automotive Tech and Welding/Manufacturing this year. They had the opportunity to work with the staff on all aspects of the design, then manufactured the parts and built the working prototype in the Welding and Manufacturing shop with instructors Tim Stites and Jordan Schulze.

“Building this project felt good knowing it will help a community,” Snell said. “This was the first time I had the opportunity to weld aluminum, so that was a good experience.”

Tucker Ryynanen said he hopes to one day become a conservation officer, and working on a project like this helps by learning valuable problem-solving skills.

“There is a lot that goes into a project like this from designing and planning, to manufacturing the individual components, to then putting the pieces together takes time and skill,” Narhi said. “This project is something the students learned and gained skills from, but at the same time will be used by the community. The students should be proud of the work they did to benefit others.”

To learn more about Automotive Technology, Welding/Manufacturing, or any other CTE offering, visit the CCISD website at copperisd.org/career-technical-education/ or call their office at 906-482-4250 x300.