By Kerry Rahm
krahm@wbcowqel.com

Hosted by Crawford 20/20 Vision, five area high school students presented their Senior Projects Monday morning. Creative, informative, and some even invested with entrepreneurial spirit, all selected speakers gave the sense that they are looking forward to becoming a part of the country’s future workforce.

Steve Mohr, chair of the Crawford County Business, Education, and Advisory Council and 20/20’s Education and Workforce Preparation Action Team, welcomed seniors from Buckeye Central, Bucyrus, Colonel Crawford, Wynford and Pioneer. All five gave inspiring, detailed accounts on their project of choice.

Mohr spoke about “project-based learning” and its parallels to real world. Students had access to mentors, spent time in professional offices or immersed themselves headlong into exploring their fields, and doing research online to get ideas and inspiration. All incorporated the use of Power Point in their presentations.

The idea came together from a group of superintendents about four years ago. Mohr estimates that among these represented schools, about 275 seniors are involved in doing pre-graduate projects.

Mohr hopes that one day the presentations will be all county.

Alex Brause of Colonel Crawford was first to speak, with his presentation titled, “A Future in Diversified Agriculture.” Brause explained how his project centered on varying crops on a single farm, and how such a strategy can keep a farm afloat even in the lean times. “It’s like a stock portfolio,” he said. One must diversify in order to stay in the game.

From there Brause spoke about his maple syrup venture, Sunny Slopes Syrup. Many farms have forests, and he realized they were an “untapped resource” that he could take advantage of. Brause came up with a business plan, secured a loan, and worked hard to fulfill his goal.

With help from experienced manufacturers in Vermont, a tubing system was designed, and put in place along with a vacuum pump and an evaporator. Eighteen thousand feet of tubing later, Brause was up and running, producing about 100 gallons of syrup this year. With the safety net of a syrup business secure, all of this neatly ties into his diversification theme.

Working on this senior project, Brause states, “I’ve probably got over 2,000 hours invested, easily, and every day throughout the winter, after all the corn was in the bin for fall, that’s all about all I did.”

Brause intends to remain on the farm to see his business through. His syrup is available for purchase at Rus-Men Farms, Cooper’s Mill, and the Brause family farm.

Embezzling was the topic chosen by Bucyrus student Keith Smith, who hopes to attend Cleveland State, majoring in accounting. He spent time at Spreng Capital Management to learn the ins and outs of the subject, as well as delving into why accountants may be tempted to commit fraud. He said accountants are in a position where embezzlement is easy, so employing a trustworthy one is a must. Smith noted that accountants need to be problem solvers in addition to math experts. “It’s a lot of paperwork too,” he stated.

Wynford’s Madelyn Assenheimer proved that an idea can both bring in an income and help out the community as well. She got the idea to make infinity scarves for her project, documenting the entire business plan, production, and profits along the way. Her mother asked her, “What makes your scarves different?” and with that statement, Assenheimer decided to donate 10 percent of her earnings to the Crawford County Humane Society.

Assenheimer bought the fabric, employed the expertise of seamstress Jill Hill, who also freely offered the use of her sewing machine, and shrewdly used social media to market her finished scarves. She also sold them at Cooper’s Mill – where she is also an employee – and at the Cabin at Willow Hollow. In the end, Assenheimer was able to donate $60 to the Humane Society. She plans on attending the University of Akron this fall.

Pioneer and Crestline High School student Ellen Dailey’s project focused on early childhood education and development. She stressed the importance of proper nutrition in young children. What foods to eat, what amount, calorie count, and exercise are all important factors to consider, she said. Dailey had the idea to make small, laminated recipe booklets, complete with colorful pictures and seasonal, kid-friendly foods.

Dailey explained how she went online to get ideas for her project:

“I mostly used Pinterest, because there’s just so many other people actually posting their own pictures on there, so just getting all those ideas, and I actually used other healthy living Web sites, to get other ideas from there also.”

She intends to start her college career with North Central State College.

Ashlee Stander of Buckeye Central was last but not least, and her career path highlighted the college courses she would need to take to accomplish her dream of becoming a nurse practitioner. Hoping to work at Riverside or Nationwide someday, Stander first started by shadowing a radiologist at Galion Community Hospital. One look at a CT brain scan was enough to let her know that was not the road she wanted to take.

She concentrated on neonatal nursing instead. Stander said that nursing programs tend to be demanding, and certain programs are exclusive, meaning a high GPA is required for entrance. One plus is a “Co-op” program, where she can acquire a paid position in a hospital while also becoming certified for procedures. She intends to go this route if possible. Stander enjoyed getting her portfolio ready for her senior project, and even used it for a job interview, with successful results. She will make the University of Toledo her school of choice come autumn.

In closing, Mohr noted that some of the young entrepreneurs should be “calling Shark Tank” with their ideas.

“You only need to watch these kids and see the job that they do, and feel a sense of pride and accomplishment of what they’ve done, and it’s unbelievable that they can get up, and present in such a manner,” he said, reflecting on the day’s presentations.

“That’s what’s really exciting… it’s not a typical classroom experience. It’s real world experience. They’re taking what they’ve learned through the 12 years of their formal education, and applying it to real life experience, and experiences I’m sure they would not have had had they not done their senior project.”

This exclusive club of five were honored with plaques as reminders of their considerable achievements, which will soon include graduation as well.