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Air Force selects local design

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Collin Baehnman, a 2019 graduate of Weyauwega-Fremont High School, signs his name on the toolbox the school received after his design of the Air Force symbol was chosen as a winner. Holding the design is Joe Gruentzel, the high school's technology education teacher. Angie Landsverk Photo

W-F student wins shop class challenge

By Angie Landsverk


A member of Weyauwega-Fremont High School’s Class of 2019 won a custom toolbox for the school’s Technology Education Department.

Collin Baehnman did so as part of the Air Force Shop Class Challenge.

The challenge invited high schools in northeastern Wisconsin to design the Air Force symbol, using class appropriate materials.

“It took me probably three to four weeks to figure out the design and then a couple weeks to get the materials I needed, said Baehnman.

Joe Gruentzel encouraged him to enter the contest.

He is the school’s technology education teacher.

Baehnman took four years of woodworking classes at W-F High School.

“He’s grown since he started out,” Gruentzel said. “His woodworking skills kept getting better and better. He is the CNC guru.”

Baehnman was a freshman when the high school got the computer-controlled router.

“Everyone gets to use it,” Gruentzel said. “He jumped into it. All the parts and pieces for the design were cut out on that machine.”

Challenging design

Baehnman said Gruentzel told him he should submit a design as part of his “last hurrah” at the high school.

They worked together on some parts of it.

“I gave him rough ideas and thoughts. He ran with it,” Gruentzel said.

Baehnman did a prototype first.

“Trying to get everything to come together was a huge challenge,” Gruentzel said.

Baehnman built it in the wood shop.

The Air Force Recruiting Service judged the entries based on design, precision, creativity, effort and teamwork.

Technical Sgt. Lisa Wheir presented the toolbox to Baehnman and Gruentzel on May 22.

Baehnman learned that day his design was a winner, after being called out of a class.

“We just wanted to engage them in something fun,” Wheir said of the challenge.

She said two toolboxes were available for high schools in northeastern Wisconsin.

“We wanted them to go to somebody who had the talent and teacher support of doing those creative things,” Wheir said.

She said the challenge allowed mechanically inclined students to use skills they learned in high school.

It also motivated them to be creative and to recognize the Air Force is a option after high school, Wheir said.

“The Air Force symbol means a lot of things,” she said. “Each part of it symbolizes something.”

Baehnman signed his design and the toolbox.

Wheir looked forward to finding a place in her office for the design.

She said the challenge was new for the Air Force, and there are plans to continue to holding some type of competition for students.

“It’s exposure for the Air Force, but obviously something we can use,” Gruentzel said.

However, both Baehnman and Gruentzel will not get to use the toolbox next school year.

Baehnman graduated from W-F on May 24, and will attend Fox Valley Technical College to become a diesel mechanic.

Gruentzel is leaving the district to teach technology education at New London High School.

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