Pine Bush High School has built a reputation for not only providing a college-ready education to those students who wish to pursue higher education, but also a career-ready education to those students who take the path to industry and trade schools.

That training and career preparedness has grown exponentially as the Gene Haas Innovation Center at Pine Bush High School now has a state-of-the-art Haas UMC-500SS, one of the most sophisticated and efficient pieces of machinery used in top-tier machine shops and government agencies.

 

 

The UMC is a five-axis machine, meaning it can do in one set-up what the standard 3-axis machine can do in five set-ups, saving a business time and money. It is used to manufacture all types of molds and parts, and is an essential piece of equipment for the Department of Defense.

 

 

The center also has three 3-axis machines – two mini mills and one VF2SS, which is the most popular machine used in manufacturing throughout the world. The mills and VF2SS can manipulate a material one side at a time. The UMC can manipulate a material on five sides at once, reducing manufacturing time and resulting in savings for a company.

“We are the only high school with this piece of equipment,” said Kenneth Marshall, Pine Bush secondary STEAM coach. “Most community colleges and four-year colleges don’t have the five-axis machine or CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) mills.”

Learning how to program and work these machines opens many doors for our students, whether they continue their education or move into the work force.

“I’ve had students walk into their college interviews and be accepted on the spot to their program because of the projects they’ve done here,” said Mr. Marshall.

And that was before this 5-axis machine!

“This new machine will support all levels of students, and now having the capacity to train students on this five-axis machine will make them even more employable as there is a shortage of skilled workers in the USA,” said Pine Bush High School Principal Aaron Hopmayer. “Currently, according to the Bureau of Labor, 99 percent of employers in the advanced manufacturing sector state that the number one problem they face is finding employees. In addition, the Bureau of Labor stated that there are currently 779,000 manufacturing jobs open in the USA with an average starting pay of $31.44 an hour.”

“The 5-axis is elite,” said Mr. Marshall. “Being able to teach 5-axis in a high school is rare. It makes this group way more marketable.”

 

 

Providing these manufacturing opportunities for students gives them the chance to develop different skills before they graduate. Last year, there was a student who wasn’t sure which path she wanted to take, according to Mr. Marshall. She had worked on CAD (computer-aided design) but had no interest. She took the college excelsior engineering course and liked it. After graduating, she landed a manufacturing job and has been promoted twice already.

Many manufacturing companies will pay for college for their employees, Mr. Marshall added.

“It’s incredible what we have created over the years here at the Haas Innovation Center for our students,” said Superintendent Brian Dunn. “It is so important that every student finds the path that’s right for them. Providing this opportunity to our students is what we are about as a district. I am so grateful for the partnerships we’ve made in these industries, all for the benefit of our students and our local and national economies.”

The students working in the manufacturing center this particular day have different career paths. Caleb Freestone and Mackenzie Meisel plan to go into mechanical engineering, so college is in their future. This experience has helped solidify their path to engineering. Dylan Miedema plans to teach STEM someday. Michael Cragan finds manufacturing fun but wants to go into business accounting. He said the classes here will help him better understand another level of the business he enters.

 

 

Thanks in large part to its valuable partnership with Haas Automation, Pine Bush has built the Gene Haas Innovation Center, a state-of-the-art facility providing hands-on learning opportunities to our high school students that usually don’t present themselves until later in college. Pine Bush received a $250,000 grant from the Gene Haas Foundation to build the center and expand the manufacturing education provided here at Pine Bush. The funding allowed the district to double the square footage of the school’s science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) area.

 

Each school year, 300 students are exposed to the Haas machinery through their STEAM classes.

 

 

Mr. Hopmayer gives credit to the administrators who have allowed this program to flourish.

“We appreciate the continued support from our superintendents as we continue to provide meaningful opportunities to ensure all of our students are college and career ready,” he said.

Haas Automation is the largest machine tool builder in the United States, and one of the largest builders of CNC machines in the world.

Pine Bush High School has been ahead of the curve for years in this educational area. In addition to Haas Automation, the high school partners with the Council of Industry of Southeast New York, Allendale Machinery Systems/Haas Factory Outlet, Workforce Development Institute, Pratt & Whitney Advanced Coating Technologies and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Students earn industry credentials in multiple areas and they have the opportunity to immediately translate their skills to real-world career paths.