(Left to right) Matthew Frouge, 12, of Ansonia, and Josiah Blakeman, 14, of Derby, change a tire at EOB's summer techno camp.
ANSONIA – Seventy students interested in careers in everything from automotive to electrical engineering attended a “Summer Techno Camp” last week at Emmett O’Brien Technical High School.
“It’s fantastic that the kids get an opportunity to explore every kind of trade and figure out what it is they like and what they don’t like, and experience something new,” said Talia Vazquez, program coordinator for the Justice Education Center, Inc.
The camp, which started June 20, was made possible thanks to a $1.1 million state grant from the Justice Education Center, Inc. and the state’s Career Pathways program. That money was divided between state tech schools.
The camp, now in its third year at EOB, is free to students. The student campers are in the seventh and eighth grade.
The camp gives the middle school students a chance to sample the types of courses EOB offers.
Steve Orloski, head of EOB’s precision machining department, said anywhere from 35 to 45 percent of the campers end up attending EOB.
“Our hope is that all seventh and eighth graders who participate in this program will recognize the numerous opportunities that a technical education can provide, in addition to a well-rounded high school experience,” Orloski said.
EOB, which serves about 600 students a year from nine area towns, is a competitive school to get into. Orloski said the students who attend the summer camp are getting a leg up on the competition by honing important skills for their futures.
Logan Ziobro, 13, of Naugatuck, was in the precision machining shop on Tuesday, learning how to operate a lathe with teacher Mike Sekulski.
“My favorite part is the hands-on tech, and I really like machining, HVAC and automotive,” Logan said. “On one of the first days of camp, I did hairdressing and we learned how to braid hair, but that’s not my thing. I just like working with machines.”
State Rep. Kara Rochelle, (D‑Ansonia) who has helped secure funding over the years for EOB to upgrade various technologies, was invited by Orloski to tour the camp on Tuesday. Rochelle said she enjoys seeing the younger kids express interest in manufacturing, particularly, where she said the state currently has 9,000 job openings in that field.
Matthew Frouge, 12, of Ansonia and Josiah Blakeman, 14, of Derby, spent Tuesday in the school’s automotive shop learning how to change a tire.
Matthew said while he enjoyed learning how to change a tire for the first time in his life, he’s learning toward the electrical trade.
“Two of my uncles are electricians and they’ve been really trying to push me to become an electrician and follow in their footsteps,” Matthew said.
Josiah also favors electrical but admitted to having fun in the hairdressing class.
Isabelle Milia, 12, of Seymour, was busy styling a mannequin head, creating a rope braid in the hairdressing/cosmetology class. She aspires to be an engineer someday.
“I think I want to be an engineer and do something involving space,” Isabelle said. “My favorite part of camp so far was the health technology class, where we learned how to put on a tourniquet.”
