AHS students design banners

Arlington High School students are helping to design metal banners for the new Arlington Valley Road as part of their advanced manufacturing class.

School staff are working with city of Arlington staff on the project, which is the second time in two years the two have collaborated.

“Last year we did the bike racks with the city of Arlington, and at the beginning of this year the mayor reached out again with another art idea,” said teacher Collin Nelson.

Arlington Valley Road opened last March and is a road in one of the city’s industrial parks.

The metal banners would add some public art to that section of the roadway.

“Once we received our new CNC plasma table, which I knew we were getting this year, I knew we would be able to do it,” said Nelson.

A CNC plasma table is a 5x5 table that takes designs made on a computer and cuts them out by itself.

“The kids will be able to design it on the computer, plug it in, and the machine cuts it out automatically,” said Nelson.

Students said they were excited to take part in a project that could become part of the city.

“I think it’s amazing. Having younger generations from middle school and up making art for the community, I think is a really great thing because it shows how involved we can be,” said Arlington High School student Selena Tedford.

“I was excited. Last year I did the bike racks, as well, but mine didn’t get picked,” said Arlington High School student Triston Gamble, who said this was another chance to provide something for the community.

Gamble said he wanted to create something that could contribute to Arlington.

“I like giving back to the community,” he said.

Tedford also enjoyed the open-ended nature of the project.

“I like being able to bring creativity into it, and to make sure that everything works,” she said. “Seeing the final product once everything is done is really rewarding,”

Students met with the mayor and staff last week to go over their designs so far.

“All of the students pitched the rough designs they had and the city gave back their adjustments or corrections that were needed,” said Nelson.

Over the next couple of weeks students plan to finalize their designs and the city plans to select some to be part of the road.

“They’ll pick however many they want made and then we’ll order metal and get them cut out,” said Nelson.

Nelson said that the advanced manufacturing class is in part learning about the business side of manufacturing.

“Somebody comes to them and makes a request and now they have to figure out how to make it,” said Nelson, and this type of project helps student experience that kind of business atmosphere.

As part of the project students are also going to do an analysis of the cost of their signs which they will provide to the city.

This is the second year that the class has given back to the town and Nelson wants to continue working with the city.

“Hopefully, we’ll be able to keep doing projects around the community and have them see what we can do,” he said.