Some of these include expanded technical education, more dual enrollment courses for earning college credits and the Phoenix Program connection with the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Superintendent Nathan Burklund said.

Last year, the district purchased a CNC plasma burn table. They used it to create fundraiser projects to fund more materials. For example, student Elijah Champagne had the idea to make metal Yetis or Bigfoots and sell them.

“Because it’s just hard on our budget to be able to afford spray paint and things like that that students need to complete a project,” Burklund said.

“What I do is run it like a little business,” said Jeff Swanson, who teaches several classes in the tech education area. “We have a drafting department, a programming department, construction manager, new product development. We try to make it really as lifelike in the real world, exactly like if they worked in a welding or fabrication business.”

DANTE STACHOWICZ carefully cuts a piece in the woods class, part of the tech education area at the School District of Niagara. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)

Another project was a train with a badger — the school’s mascot — that is part of the Little Christmas Village display in Heights Park.

They started by drafting the design in AutoCAD, cut it out in metals class and had it painted in art class, Burklund explained.

“It kind of puts all those things together in the production of it,” he said.

Senior Dante Stachowicz said he appreciates the courses, especially because he wants to be a civil engineer. “It’s awesome that we have this opportunity because a lot of schools don’t have this. Just knowing the basics of woodworking and metals, even AutoCAD, where we’re drafting all this stuff, is awesome,” he said.

“Just because so many schools are getting away from this, it’s so important that we have this,” Burklund said. “The kids love it. Like Dante is going into engineering and he’s going to have a base of learning.”

XANDER ANNEAR creates a design on the computer in AutoCAD class in the tech education area of the School District of Niagara, Wis. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)

Niagara has offered dual enrollment for college credit in Spanish for three years. This year they have expanded to have a dual enrollment science course and English class.

Nicole Connors, who teaches the Spanish class, said it’s a good way for students to save money on college costs.

Students can qualify for retroactive credits as well.

“So that means if they pass my class, which is worth three college credits, and do well, they can actually end up with up to 14 credits. It’s free for students, which save families a lot of money,” Connors said.

Many students don’t know they may be required to take a foreign language in college, Connors added. She has seven students in the class.

The teacher must have a master’s degree and apply to teach dual enrollment classes. Hilding Beaudoin is teaching human biology. Ginger Anderson teaches an English class.

“Once I got my master’s, I realized I could just apply,” Beaudoin said. “They had biology. Why not see if they could get dual enrollment out of this. It’s been awesome. I have 11 students. They seem to really enjoy it.”

Sherri Petschar, the guidance counselor/curriculum director, said there are opportunities for students to take classes from different colleges based on what they are interested in and where they plan to attend college.

Three students are in the Rising Phoenix program, which Petschar calls the “Taj Mahal” of early college studies. It is open to juniors and seniors. Students who meet the criteria can earn up to 60 college credits and graduate with an associate degree along with their high school diploma.

“It’s quite a process, criteria they have to fit. Then they go to UWGB and have to pass their screening,” Petschar said.

“One of the criteria is to just have some sort of barrier to education, like a first-generation college student, medical issue, low income,” she said. “They try to look for those students first. We have meet certain standards and align the courses.”

The district has also installed new scoreboards in the gym from booster club and local business donations.