Apollo Career Center Advanced Manufacturing Program

Apollo Career Center Local Contest Day 2025 is in the books! Thanks to all our judges for the help today. We couldn’t do it without you!

RESULTS!
CNC Programmer
1st- Landen Twining
2nd- Keegan Davis
3rd- Lance Fuller

Tech Drafting
1st- Gabriel Fogel
2nd- Anderson Hamel
3rd- Rowen Morgan

Manual Machinist
1st- Joseph Miller
2nd- Aaron McConkey
3rd- Logan Spencer

Tis the season, for the Apollo Career Center Craft Show. Ever wonder how we lay out the booths for all the crafters? Lots of yellow tape, couple hundred feet of string and a few tape measures along with a few big maps of the building.

Big thanks to the HVAC program for the help with the layout. also a big shout out to all other students who stayed after to help the crafters carry items in. We appreciate your help!

Advanced Manufacturing Seniors heard from GROB Systems this afternoon. Students learned about the apprenticeship opportunities and a little bit of the history of GROB.

Recent Advanced Manufacturing grads Evan Koenig and Everett Bensman attended as well to share their experiences so far in the GROB apprenticeship program and answer questions from current students.

Always a good day to have former students come back and share their experiences.

First full week out in the shop!

Juniors were able to get their feet wet in the shop this week. Working on the manual mill to square parts up and getting an introduction to micrometers.

Seniors made their return to the shop as well with a couple refresh projects before we dive back into the CNCs.

Also we were able to setup our new print room in the lab office.

Big shout out to Motion in Lima, Ohio for helping with the student tool kits again this year. Also big thank you to the Gene Haas Foundation for the grant to help cover some of the kit cost again this year!

Great things to come for the school year!

SkillsUSA Nationals Week is in the books! I am so incredibly proud of my students and the effort they put into making it this far. We may not have taken home hardware, but the lessons we learned and the experience are worth more than any metal. We all had a good time and look forward to preparing for next year! I watched all my students grow over these five days, and words cannot express how honored I am to be their instructor.

We drove 22 hours, walked 29 miles in total, and competed for over 20 hours in total. The students made lasting memories. Thank you to my students for another great run at nationals! I cannot say enough how proud I am!

-Mr. Dicke

Our competitors are getting started on day two for Tech Drafting and day one for Automated Manufacturing at SkillsUSA Nationals. Let’s go!!

Took home some hardware today!!! Juniors and Seniors from Apollo Career Center Advanced Manufacturing competed at SkillsUSA Ohio State Contest yesterday.

Senior Lane Rellinger is back to back State Champion for Technical Drafting. He will be making his way back to Atlanta in June for SkillsUSA National Contest

Senior Xavier Dawes took home second place in the CNC programmer position.

The Automated Manufacturing Team of Maddie Ochs, Lance Fuller and Hunter Dulebohn took home gold as well. They will be heading to SkillsUSA Nationals in June as well!!

We are beyond proud of all our students who competed this week at state contest.

Atlanta here we come!!!!!

Today we celebrated the Adult Ed side of the machine shop here at Apollo. Steve Downey has been a full-time teacher, mentor, high school substitute, and most of all, a friend for the last 17 years here at Apollo Career Center Adult Education. Steve retired in 2007 after 34 years at Lima Ford Engine plant as a toolmaker and came to Apollo in 2008. Tonight we celebrated his retirement; his wife, a few friends, and former students stopped by to wish Steve well.

We appreciate all that you have done for the high school and adult side over the years. The knowledge you have passed along has been tremendous. We cannot say thank you enough! Enjoy your retirement!! You have earned it!

Good times at SkillsUSA Ohio Northwest Regional Contest today! Advanced Manufacturing had a strong showing in the CNC contest and in Job Demo A!

CNC Milling - Chris Crnkovich(2nd)
CNC Turning - Ciaran Goodman(1st)
CNC Programmer - Xavier Dawes(2nd)

Job Skill Demo A - Leah Johnson(4th)

Congrats to all other Apollo students who competed today!

We had some visitors to the senior lab today. 24' RCT graduate PFC Daniel Jenkins stopped by to share his experience at Apollo and talk to the afternoon class about the Marines, along with Staff Sergeant Callahan. I always enjoy past students stopping and sharing their experiences with our students.

CTSO Local Contest day!

Evan Koenig- 2nd Place Job Interview Skills
Jillian Hough- 2nd Place Extemporaneous Speaking
Leah Johnson/Landen Twining- 1st place Career Demo
Xavier Dawes-1st Place CAM Technician
Ciaran Goodman- 2nd Place CAM Technician
Chris Crnkovich- 3rd Place CAM Technician
Noah Bowsher- 1st Place Manual Machining
Alan Meihls- 2nd Place Manual Machining
Josef Miller- 3rd Place Manual Machining
Everett Bensmen- 1st Place Technical Drafting
Gabe Meyers-2nd Place Technical Drafting
Connor Brewer- 3rd Place Technical Drafting

Thanks to all the judges that came into help! We couldn’t do it without you! Adam Carver (GROB), Xavier Ickes (Honda), Kaitlyn Twomey(GROB), Michael Tucker(Honda), Mike Hawk (GROB)

Two of our Advanced Manufacturing ladies were able to attend SkillsUSA Ohio Fall Leadership Conference in Columbus last Thursday and Friday. Maddison Ochs and Leah Johnson learned valuable leadership skills and the core values of the SkillsUSA frame work.