Erickson Companies Grant Reno High Engineering Program $35,000

During a ribbon cutting for Erickson Companies new business, High Desert Truss & Lumber, they announced they gave Reno High School $35,000 to help provide more equipment and help the students gain more experience in their engineering class. “It is going to provide us a lot of opportunities to get stuff that I never had access to in high school, and get kids a real true engineering experience that they wouldn’t be able to do ’til their second year in high school,” explains Karl Kuhles, the teacher for the Project Lead the Way.

The class allows students to explore and figure out if they actually want to continue a career in engineering.

Thanks to Erickson Companies, Kuhles is now able to buy more equipment such as saws and drill presses so the students can actually build what they design, as well drafting laptops to help them get more creative. “It takes what they do on paper and the theory on the board and they actually get to see the purpose of it when they build it, which I think makes the connection and makes it exciting,” says Kuhles.

Not only is the money helping the program but it is also giving the students more skills to use when they graduate. “If we can supply the workforce with skillful workers, the sky is the limit for these guys. They can get certifications they can enhance those when they leave here,” says Reno High Principal, Kris Hackbusch.

With all the new equipment coming their way the school hopes that it will bring in more students into the program and make them interested in having a career in engineering. “Next year I expect to have two or three sections of the first year class depending on scheduling, so it is getting pretty popular pretty fast,” says Kuhles.