HMS MI-Trades was a partnership between the MI-Steam Network, our community, and our students.  Our middle school students built: An outside stone table, bat houses, and solar-powered dog houses.  Individuals from the trades worked with our students/campers from masonry, HVAC, Electricians, Plumbing, Gutters, Welding, City Maintenance Crews, School Building Maintenance, and Waste Management. 

We had donations from Chervon Group (parent company of Flex Tools), Lowes, Home Depot, Waste Management, Ace Hardware, Family Farm & Home, Rick Reid Builders, Hawthorne Masonry, Advantage Plumbing and Drain, Morgan Electric, West Michigan Gutter &  Guards, Welton's Heating and Cooling, YMCA of Barry County and Lewis Welding Company.  These donations supported our students' learning.

Our middle school students not only learn about these various careers but also how to prepare themselves for a career in each of these trades. For example, further trade schools, licenses, certifications, and on-the-job training requirements. They were also immersed in how mathematics plays a role in these fields by way of fractions, Pythagorean theory, and ways to measure lengths, areas, and volumes. Each guest instructor discussed the importance of how to safely use their job-specific tools. Each presenter had the opportunity to talk to the campers about why they chose their professions and why they enjoy their career.