HAHIRA – When Mrs. Stacy Dickey, principal of Hahira Middle School (HMS), announced the theme for the 2015-2016 school year, members of the HMS Technology Student Association (TSA) were very excited. HMS-Community for Success corresponds perfectly with the mission of the HMS TSA construction challenge team.

Each year, HMS TSA searches out a need in the community and collaborates with community business partners to meet the need. Through communication with school administration, the absence of a bicycle rack on school property was determined to be the project the team would tackle. Local businesses, Chancy Drugs and Village Metalworks, were gracious enough to lend their resources and expertise to the team.

After building a wooden picnic table for a local park in 2015, the 2016 team was excited to use a different medium (metal) to gain new knowledge in the construction industry. Mr. Larry Morts, owner and operator of Village Metalworks, worked with students Connor Chancy, Brayden Whidden, and Maddox Whiddon to plan and build a custom bike rack for the community. Mr. Morts guided the boys through each phase of the construction process. The lesson included cutting, grinding, bending and welding metal. According to Connor Chancy, welding was the most exciting part of the day. The chemistry behind TIG welding, the hydraulics used by the powerful metal cutting machines, the technology in CNC plasma cutters and the mathematics involved in designing the bike rack all comprised a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) lesson that the students will remember for the rest of their lives.

Being a member of the HMS TSA Construction Challenge Team has not only taught these young men tangible skills, but maybe more importantly, the boys have been a part of something bigger. The boys now know that intangible benefits such as pride, satisfaction, and accomplishments are worthwhile reasons to serve your community. The bicycle rack will be a permanent fixture on the HMS campus for many years; however, it won’t just hold bicycles, it will represent a community for success.

Hahira Middle School