High School Students Gets Hands-on Experience During Demo Day

Students from 25 high schools in Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota got hands-on experience in technical, computer and culinary programs at Sheridan College during Demo Day at the college Wednesday.

\Misty Bateman, who’s the college’s recruiter for career and technical education, explained the purpose of the event.

Bateman said the biggest misperception regarding the trades is that the pay is lousy and there are no benefits.

Students participating in Demo Day toured facilities in the college’s Technical Center and got experience in welding, diesel, machine tool and construction, while students participating in Cyber Day got an in-depth look at computer science programs offered at Sheridan College.

Culinary Experience Day events included restaurant and hospitality industries sessions in the Technical Center as well as cooking sessions at the Wyoming Culinary Institute on Sheridan Avenue.

Brett Burke, who chairs the career and technical education department in Sheridan, said about 250 high school students were on the college campus or the Wyoming Culinary Institute during the day’s events.

Also on hand was Travis Grubb, currently the career and technical education department chair at Gillette College and soon to be the interim dean of career and technical education for the Northern Wyoming Community College District, which oversees both colleges.

Grubb said Gillette College holds an event similar to Demo Day, so he was in Sheridan in part to see how the two events compare.