Hello, and thanks for checking out my website! My name is Steve Vasiloff, and I have been a CAD teacher for 20 years. I teach at the South & West Washtenaw Consortium (SWWC) as well as Saline High Schoool in Michigan. I currently teach Computer-Aided Drafting/Design (CAD), including both Technical and Architectural. I previously taught Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) for 9 years, as well as Project Lead the Way: Introduction to Engineering Design (PLTW: IED) for 5 years. By using the links in the upper right hand corner of my site, you can explore my different programs and see examples of projects done in each one.
If you are a potential CTE student interested in seeing which CTE classes can be used as which graduation requirements, please look over the document posted HERE. As always, I strongly encourage you to discuss this with your counselor to determine the best use of the credits.
During the design process, my classes use many softwares. Most notably they use Onshape, Inventor Professional, Revit, Lumion, AutoCAD, and Fusion 360 depending upon the course.
Student versions of AutoDesk softwares (Inventor, Revit, AutoCAD, and Fusion 360) can be downloaded for free from HERE. *IF THE LINK DOESN'T WORK, HOLD DOWN CTRL ON YOUR KEYBOARD WHEN CLICKING TO OPEN IN A NEW TAB*
More recently we have begun using Onshape. It is a fantastic browser based software that only requires an internet connection. No downloads, installs, and will work on a Chromebook. There is even an app for your phone. I truly love this software. You can sign up HERE.
Lastly, Architectural students that have a high-end PC can run Lumion. Make sure to check the system requirements to ensure your computer can run this software before you download it. Please reach out to me for more info on how to obtain it.
In my 20 years, I have developed a belief that competition leads to higher productivity as well as deeper learning. My classes compete and are highly successful at a number of competitions, most notably SkillsUSA and the Michigan Industrial Technology Education Society (MITES) competition. Feel free to click on the links to learn more about them!
2023-2024 School Year
2024 SKILLSUSA NATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND SKILLS CONFERENCE RESULTS!!!
NASTY NATE YONAK - TECHNICAL DRAFTING - 3RD IN THE NATION!
COLTON WHALEN - ARCHITECTURAL DRAFTING - 8TH IN THE NATION!
The week of June 24th, we were in Atlanta along with 19,000 other people for SkillsUSA Nationals! From our CAD program were our SkillsUSA State Champions Nate Yonak and Colton Whalen! They represented Michigan well in Technical and Architectural Drafting!
Nasty Nate Yonak found his way to the podium by finishing 3rd in Technical Drafting out of 41 State Champions from across the Nation! He had to model and create drawings for multiple parts using proper view selection, determining fits and tolerances, and correctly applying GD&T. The contest was hosted by a new sponsor, who also created the problem, which was a curveball for us. Yet, the Nasty One kept his cool and earned the bronze as a Junior! Amazing performance, and good luck next year!
Colton Whalen finished 8th in Architectural Drafting out of 39 State Champions, where he had to design a home on a specific site that met the requirements of the client as well as adhere to building codes and drawing standards. He had to manually draft out a site plan, design his project in our CAD software, and complete a series of drawings that could be used to build the home. He produced an excellent set drawings, and earned an 8th place finish! He'll be taking his skills to Virginia Tech in the fall while persuing a degree in Architecture. Congrats, and good luck in the fall!
CAD STUDENTS RAKE IN 74 PLAQUES AT MITES THIS YEAR!!!
In May, the SWWC CAD students had the second best performance in program history at the annual Michigan Industrial Technology Education Society’s student project competition! The students submitted over 150 projects into 45 different categories, including detail and working drawings, photorealistic renderings, and animations. This year, 74 of them finished top three in the state and brought home a plaque! We had 29 projects declared state champions, 22 runner ups, and 23 third place finishes. We also won 4 Divisional Awards, meaning that our projects were the best in the entire grade level! Yet, the most impressive part is that students from Saline, Lincoln, Dexter, Milan, and Chelsea all won plaques!
Our top performers at the competition, who we declare as the "Darlings of MITES" were Jonah Bentley in Mechanical Drafting and Lily Paddock in Architectural Drafting!
LOPICCOLO, WHALEN, AND SIEDLIK SWEEP ANNUAL NEF COMPETITION!
This year, all of our year-long architecture students competed in the National Association of Women in Construction's Education Foundation (NEF) Design Drafting Competition. We submitted 19 entries, and finished 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the state. Stefania Lopiccolo was named champion, with Colton Whalen and Izzy Siedlik just behind in 2nd and 3rd. As champion, Stefania's submission went on to regionals, which consists of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania, and finished in 1st place again! Now her drawings will go on to nationals, where she'll have an opportunity to win the top prize! Congrats to her, and all those who competed!
24-NC-MI-233395-006-HD.pdf2024 SKILLSUSA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS - THE PERFECT SWEEP! AGAIN!
In April the SWWC CAD competitors headed out to Grand Rapids to compete in the SkillsUSA State Championships. Competing in Technical Drafting were Nate Yonak, Abbey Alexander, Jonah Bentley, and Micah Gray. Competing in Architectural Drafting were Colton Whalen, Madi Rogan, Devin Vreeland, Reagan Barkel, and Morgan Widman. We are proud to say that once again we pulled off the perfect sweep!
There were 17 high school competitors in Technical Drafting this year, and Nate won the gold, Abbey the silver, Jonah the bronze, and Micah just behind in 4th! The crazy part is that the difference between 1st and 4th was 2 percentage points, 96.6 to 94.6! Congrats to these 4 amazing Juniors on performing so well at such a high level. They had to model a cupholder cell phone mount and create a set of drawings so one could be manufactured, and all of their drawings were amazing!
In Architectural Drafting, Colton Whalen won the gold, Madi Rogan the silver, Devin Vreeland the bronze, Regan Barkel finished 4th, and Morgan Widman finished 5th! I think the most impressive part is that all 5 of them scored higher on the contest than the college division gold medalist on the same problem. These students had to design a Chicago Two Flat duplex that was ADA compliant. They created some incredible designs!
Congrats to those who competed, and good luck to Nasty Nate and Colton as they head to Atlanta in June to represent Michigan at the SkillsUSA National competition!
AIDEN SCHAYES PLACES 6th AT ANNUAL ASBE COMPETITION!
Aiden Schayes took it upon himself to compete in the 2024 American Society of Body Engineers (ASBE) High School Design Challenge! He chose the Engineering Design category, and had to create a functional design of a front mounted protective brush or push bar including the supporting posts or brackets and attachments. He was judged based on his design’s innovation, functionality, appearance, and mounting attachments, and his amazing design placed 6th! This earned him an invitation to meet with ASBE designers and engineers at the Design Challenge Awards Banquet where he was honored for his hard work! Congrats to Aiden on this achievement!
2022-2023 School Year
2023 SKILLSUSA NATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND SKILLS CONFERENCE RESULTS!!!
MARISA MATHEWS - TECHNICAL DRAFTING - 8th IN THE NATION!
JULIA KOSEK - ARCHITECTURAL DRAFTING - 9th IN THE NATION!
The week of June 19th, we were in Atlanta along with 19,000 other people for SkillsUSA Nationals! From our CAD program were our SkillsUSA State Champions (and Darlings of MITES!) Julia Kosek and Marisa Mathews! They represented Michigan well in Architectural Drafting and Technical Drafting!
Marisa finished 8th in Technical Drafting out of 44 competitors! She had to model and create drawings for a Pipe Cutter, while using proper view selection, determining fits and tolerances, and correctly applying GD&T and welds. Marisa was not only up against 43 other state champs, but 15 of them had competed there last year! She really made us proud finishing 8th, as placing higher than 36 other State Champions is no easy feat!
Julia finished 9th in Architectural Drafting out of 44 competitors, where she had to design a home with an Accessory Dwelling Unit that could house visitors as well as serve as a pool cabana. She had to manually sketch out a site plan, design the project in our CAD software, and complete a series of drawings to meet all of the requirements of the project. She produced some amazing drawings, and she made us proud by beating out 35 other state champions to finish 9th in the nation!
It was my privilege to have these two as CAD students, and see them finish their time in my program with strong performances. SkillsUSA state champions, Darlings of MITES with a combined total of 8 projects that finished in the top 3 in the state, and then combining to place above 71 other state champions at SkillsUSA Nationals! They are truly a dynamic duo! I am beyond proud of them for all of their accomplishments, and you can read more details about all they achieved below! Congrats to them, and all those that competed!
MITES RECORD SHATTERED! CAD STUDENTS BRING HOME 85 PLAQUES!
In May, the SWWC CAD students set a new high water mark at the annual Michigan Industrial Technology Education Society’s student project competition! The students submitted over 140 projects into 45 different categories, including detail and working drawings, photorealistic renderings, and animations. This year, 85 of them finished top three in the state and brought home a plaque! We had 32 projects declared state champions, 28 runner ups, and 25 third place finishes. This shattered the record of 65 plaques from the year before! We also won 3 Divisional Awards, meaning that our projects were the best in the entire grade level! Yet, the most impressive part is that we had state champions from Saline, Lincoln, Dexter, and Chelsea!
Our top performers at the competition, who we declare as the "Darlings of MITES" were Marisa Mathews and Julia Kosek!
Again this year, it was our SkillsUSA state champions Marisa Mathews and Julia Kosek also won the title of "Darling of MITES" with their amazing projects! Marisa turned in 5 projects, and 3 of them won a state title! Julia turned in 7 projects and won a state title and a Divisional Award for drawings of her Community Restorative Justice Center. Congrats to them, and all those that competed! More information about MITES, the nearly 100 year old competition, can be found HERE
2023 SKILLSUSA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS - THE PERFECT SWEEP!!!
In April the SWWC CAD competitors headed out to Grand Rapids to compete in the SkillsUSA State Championships. Competing in Technical Drafting were Marisa Mathews, Anthony Curcione, and Edison Bregger, and in Architectural Drafting the competitors were Julia Kosek, Colton Whalen, Ilyssa Lichtenstein, and Mia Bae. We are proud to say we pulled off the perfect sweep!
There were 17 high school competitors in Technical Drafting this year, and Marisa won the gold, Anthony the silver, and Edison the bronze! They had to model a Rabbit corkscrew and create a set of drawings so one could be manufactured, and their drawings looked phenomenal!
In Architectural Drafting, Julia Kosek won the gold, Colton Whalen the silver, Ilyssa Lichtenstein the bronze, and Mia Bae finished 4th. I think the most impressive part is that all 4 of them scored higher on the contest than the college division gold medalist on the same problem. These students had to design a very specific home on a site plan with an existing shed, and then convert the shed to an ADA compliant accessory dwelling unit. They created some amazing designs!
Congrats to those who competed, and good luck to Marisa and Julia as they head to Atlanta in June to represent Michigan at the SkillsUSA National competition!
KOSEK, JOHNSON, AND AN TAKE TOP PRIZES FOR THE NAWIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION DESIGN DRAFTING COMPETITION!!!
22-NC-MI-002325-010-HP (1).pdf
For the last few years, we have competed in the National Association of Women in Construction's Education Foundation (NEF) Design Drafting Competition, and this year we took the top 3 prizes! The students had to design, from the foundation up, a Community Restorative Justice Center. Julia Kosek was declared Champion, while Grace Johnson finished Runner Up, and Jacob An placed 3rd!
Additionally, Julia's project went on to finish 2nd in our Region, which consist of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania! Congrats to her, and all those who competed!
2021-2022 School Year
2022 SKILLSUSA NATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND SKILLS CONFERENCE RESULTS!!!
TORY CANTRELL - TECHNICAL DRAFTING NATIONAL CHAMP!
CLAIRE ENDRES, LIAM FARR, AND CARTER HARRIS RUNNERS UP IN AMT!
ABBY GRAY - TENTH IN ARCHITECTURAL DRAFTING!
The week of June 20th, we were in Atlanta (which we now know why they call it Hotlanta!) for SkillsUSA Nationals. Representing my programs were Claire Endres, Liam Farr, and Carter Harris in Automated Manufacturing Technology (AMT), Abby Gray in Architectural Drafting, and Tory Cantrell in Technical Drafting.
Tory Cantrell was crowned National Champion and brought home the gold in Technical Drafting! She had an absolutely amazing performance, and because of her and Carter Harris last year, I am proud to say that we are back-to-back Technical Drafting National Champs! I was able to review her drawings after the competition, and was extremely confident going into the awards ceremony. She had to create numerous parts from an electric motor and produce 5 drawings, and her drawings were some of the best I've seen. Congratulations to Tory on this wonderful accomplishment and for keeping the gold medal in Michigan!
Claire, Liam, and Carter finished 2nd in Automated Manufacturing Technology! They had to create CAD drawings and use CAM software and CNC machines to cut out 3 parts of a rotary engine. Then they had to go back and modify one of the parts and cut it out again. They were absolutely awesome, smiling through the entire competition, and finishing just behind the 1st place team from California that consisted of identical triplets! They continued our excellent track record in AMT, bringing home our 5th national medal from the last 6 competitions.
Abby finished 10th in Architectural Drafting, where she had to design a "pocket community" that consisted of a courtyard/community area surrounded by tiny homes. She had to manually sketch out a site plan, design the project in our CAD software, and complete a series of drawings to meet all of the requirements of the project. While it was a very non-traditional problem this year (and a very large and long competition), Abby really made us proud finishing in the top 10. Beating 40 other State Champions is no easy feat!
It was such a wonderful way to watch these outstanding seniors finish their careers with Saline Area Schools. I could not be more proud of them for persevering and setting a high water mark, as more than half of their high school careers were pretty non-traditional in my opinion! To see their excitement and happiness (I had quite a bit of that going on too!) at the awards ceremony was such a truly amazing culminating moment. Congrats to them, and all those that competed!
THE MITES RECORD HAS BEEN BROKEN!
After a three year hiatus, the Michigan Industrial Technology Education Society (MITES) competition was held again in Lansing, and our CAD students had their strongest showing yet! MITES is a competition where students turn in projects they have worked on all year into different divisions of Industrial Technology, and our CAD students submit entries into Mechanical Drafting, Architectural Drafting, and Animation. The divisions are broken down into categories and grade levels, and all of our year long CTE CAD students, as well as some members of CAD Club, turned projects into around 20 different categories. More information about the nearly 100 year old competition can be found HERE.
This year our students submitted 128 projects, and all of them placed top 4 at regionals and qualified for states. At states, we had 65 projects place top 3, earning us a plaque! That beats our previous record of 56 plaques in 2019. We had 21 individual state champions, 21 runners-up, and 23 third place finishes. Nice job breaking the class record!
Architecture student Kylie Evenson won our highest honor of the event when she brought home the Grand Award for Animation, meaning that her architectural walkthrough was deemed the best animation in the entire competition regardless of category and grade level. Feel free to check it out below:
AN 4 B - The Evenson House.mp4
Additionally, we had divisional awards, meaning that our student's project was deemed the best of the division regardless of category. CAD Club member Madison Corn won the freshman/sophomore division for Animation, as did CAD student Abby Gray in the year-long CTE division, with their amazing architectural walkthroughs. Also, Alex Arreguin won a divisional award for year-long CTE for Mechanical Drafting for his cutaway section of an HD Fighter jet.
After all is said and done with MITES, we tally up who earned the most awards and declare them the "Darling of MITES". This year, our SkillsUSA state champions Tory Cantrell and Abby Gray also won the title of "Darling of MITES" with their phenomenal showings. Tory turned in 7 projects, and all of them finished top 6 at states, with her Hexapod Animation winning a state title. Abby Gray turned in 8 projects and won 3 state titles for her animations and drawings of a residence, a farmhouse, and a condo.
Great job setting a new record and congrats to all those who competed! An extra special congrats to all of the CAD Club students who competed and pushed us to new highs!
CAD STUDENTS SLAUGHTER THE COMPETITION AT SKILLSUSA!
SkillsUSA was back on in-person for the first time in 3 years, and our SWWC CAD students really took it to the competition!
In Technical Drafting, Tory Cantrell brought home the gold and will be representing the state of Michigan at Nationals in June. Max Stewart finished 2nd, improving on his 4th place finish last year. We also had two Juniors compete, with Marisa Mathews finishing 4th and Callum Bloor finishing 7th! Way to go!
In Architectural Drafting, Abby Gray was crowned State Champion and will represent our great state at Nationals. Azi Lin finished 2nd, improving on last year's 4th place finish. Hayden Schad and Julia Sesi placed 4th and 5th respectively. Nice work!
Congrats to all who competed and showed what our program can do!
2020-2021 School year
CARTER HARRIS - NATIONAL CHAMPION IN TECHNICAL DRAFTING!
BEN WILD - 7th IN THE NATION IN ARCHITECTUAL DRAFTING!
NOWICKI, THOMAS, AND WALSH - 7th IN THE NATION IN AUTOMATED MANUFACTURING!
The SkillsUSA National Championships concluded, and all of our students/teams finished top 7 in the nation! We couldn't be more proud of you! Thank you for representing our programs, school, and state so well!
A huge congrats to Carter Harris, who is our first national champion in Technical Drafting! Carter had to create numerous models and detail drawings of an air compressor blow gun, all to ANSI standards and fully annotated with GD&T properly applied. He did an absolutely amazing job, and brought home the gold for himself, our program, and the state of Michigan! Congrats!
Ben Wild had our strongest finish in Architectural Drafting yet, finishing 7th in the nation! He had to complete a set of drawings for a custom residence, making sure that each and every detail and request by the customer was met. Because of students like Ben, our Architectural Drafting program continues to grow stronger every year.
The team of Jack Nowicki, Parker Thomas, and Thomas Walsh competed in Automated Manufacturing Technology, and finished 7th as well! They had custom pieces of stock that were sent in the mail, and they had to manufacture very specific parts from that stock using our CNC machines, as well as create a set of detail drawings for the parts. They kept alive our streak of strong performances at Nationals!
TITLES DEFENDED! STATE CHAMPS IN TECHNICAL AND ARCHITECTUAL!
Even with all the difficulties we've faced during the 20/21 school year, the SWWC CAD students were still able to prove that we have some of the best students in the state! This year we had 6 students compete at the SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference, with 3 in Technical Drafting and 3 in Architectural Drafting. The competition was virtual this year, but our students still rose to the top!
Carter Harris was crowned State Champion in Technical Drafting, while Max Stewart finished 4th and Logan York 6th. All three scored higher than the college division gold medalist on the same problem. This extends our winning streak in Technical Drafting to 3 years, and 4 out of the last 5 years! Nicely done!
In Architectural Drafting, Ben Wild earned the title of state champion and took home the gold! Right behind him was Graham Deal, who earned the silver, and Azi Lin who finished in 4th place. That makes our program back to back SkillsUSA champions in Architectural Drafting for the first time ever! Way to go!
Both Carter and Ben will represent Michigan at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference this summer in their respective competitions. They will also be joined by our Automated Manufacturing Technology team of Jack Nowicki, Parter Thomas, and Thomas Walsh who will be looking to keep our streak of placing top 3 in the nation.
Congrats to all that competed, and good luck at nationals!
THIRD TRIMESTER NEWS!
With the third trimester set to begin in the Hybrid format, you may have many questions about what my classes will look like. We will be completing CAD work at our regular pace. But don't fret, I've got it covered! There are very specific instructions in Google Classroom, and you should have received your invitation already, so make sure you accept and read everything very carefully!
Remember that 1st, 2nd, and 3rd hour classes will Zoom on Mondays and Wednesdays, while 4th and 5th hour classes will Zoom on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All class meeting will be at the regularly scheduled time.
DESPITE THE TIMES, THE SWWC CAD STUDENTS MAKE AMAZING PROJECTS!
Nothing can hold back year long 5th hour CAD students! This year, Technical Drafting students were tasked with creating a musical instrument of their choice. The Architectural CAD students were asked to make a music venue. Check out the amazing projects they produced!
Bloor - Grand Piano.mp4
Sitterley - Music Venue Walkthrough.mp4Stewart - Accordion.mp4Harris - French Horn.mp4Walsh - Cuckoo Clock.mp4Wild - Music Venue Walkthrough.mp4York - Turntable.mp42018-2019 School year
CAD AND CIM STUDENTS REPRESENT MICHIGAN AT SKILLSUSA NATIONALS!
This past summer was a very exciting one, as we won state titles in all of the subjects we compete in and were able to represent Michigan at SkillsUSA Nationals in Technical Drafting, Architectural Drafting, and Automated Manufacturing Technology. This crew of 5 amazing students took the trip to Louisville in June to show the rest of the country how we do things in Michigan, and I can say without a doubt that we represented our state well!
The Automated Manufacturing Technology team of Sammy Zebrowski, Ryan Schwartz, and Aidan Bunting extended the streak of bringing home National medals to 4 years. This year they were able to defeat Ohio and bring home the Silver medal to add to our collection of one Bronze, one Silver, and one Gold. Pretty amazing to finish up 2nd in the Nation, and to finish top 3 in each of the last 4 years. Way to go guys!
Emma King placed 11th in the Nation in Technical Drafting, and is the best placing student in our program history! She'll take her skills with her to Michigan Tech, where we know she'll do great things. Congratulations to Emma for a job well done!
Chris Laycock is our first Architecture State Champ in program history, and got the chance to see what things were like on the National scene. The competition was tough, but Chris finished 24th, putting him in the better half of the Nation. Nicely done! Chris will be continuing his education at EMU.
CAD STUDENTS TAKE 56 PLAQUES FROM 91ST ANNUAL MITES COMPETITION!
For the last 91 years, the Michigan Industrial Technology Education Society has been hosting a project based competition. Around 30 or 40 years ago the regional competition was held here in Saline. This was our sixth year competing, and our SWWC CAD class had the strongest showing yet. We entered projects into around 20 different categories, including things like photo-realistic renderings of CAD drawings, blueprints, hand drawings, and model houses. The class had all 111 projects that were entered make it through regionals and qualify for states, and an amazing 56 of them placed top 3 in the state and earned a plaque. We had 16 individual state champions, 22 runners-up, and 18 third place finishes. Nice job breaking the class record!
A huge congrats to Ryan Schwartz for being named "Darling of MITES" this year! Ryan turned in 8 projects into numerous categories, some of which were entered to fill openings left by classmates. His projects all placed well, and he ended up taking home four plaques! Nice job Ryan, and keep up the good work!
ALL 4 CAD STUDENTS MEDAL AT SKILLSUSA STATE FINALS 2019!
STATE CHAMPS IN TECHNICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL DRAFTING FOR 1st TIME!
CAD/CIM STUDENTS WILL REPRESENT MICHIGAN IN 3 COMPETITIONS AT NATIONALS!
This April we had four students from our CAD program in Grand Rapids competing at the SkillsUSA State Championships, and for the first time all 4 took home medals! Emma King and Ruth Sullivan competed in Technical Drafting, while Chris Laycock and Joey Yaklin competed in Architectural Drafting. They all performed very well, but it was Emma and Chris that were crowned State Champions in their respective competitions.
In the Technical Drafting competition, high school and college students are in different divisions yet they compete in the same room and are given the same problem. Emma not only won gold in the high school division, but he scored higher than the gold medalist in the college division. Since she was the top placer out of both divisions, he was given industry awards including a $1255 Herman Miller office chair and a $430 CAD Spacemouse combo, which is basically a CAD joystick and mouse. In addition, she'll be representing Michigan at nationals this June in Louisville. On top of this success, Ruth Sullivan finished 2nd and took home the silver in the same competition and becomes our first two-time medalist! She performed really well, and finished just a few points behind Emma in a 1000 point contest. She was also given industry awards including a CAD SpaceMouse combo.
In the Architectural Drafting competition, we were finally able to end a 5 year streak from a rival school and bring home the gold! Chris Laycock pulled off the upset, and earned himself a 1st place medal and the honor of representing Michigan at Nationals this June. Joey Yaklin finished 3rd, but it is important to understand that he spent a large portion of this school year helping to expand our architecture curriculum so that it covers every competency from the last five years of SkillsUSA Architecture problems . Joey figured out the best methods for accomplishing each competency with our software, and because of him all future students will leave the program better off. There is no doubt that we would not be representing Michigan at Nationals if it wasn't for Joey. Also, he has expressed and interest in being a CAD teacher and I truly hope he continues on that path!
Congratulations to all 4 students, and good luck at Nationals!
2017-2018 School year
STEIN, TROUT, AND ROWLAND WIN SKILLSUSA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!
For the last 5 years, the SWWC has represented the state of Michigan at the SkillsUSA National Championships in the Automated Manufacturing Technology competition. Jake Stein of Saline, Trenton Trout of Milan, and Adam Rowland of Milan earned our best finish yet by winning a national title and bringing home the gold! This competition consists of three students completing CAD drawings, using CAM software to create tool-paths, and operating a CNC machine to manufacture interlocking parts. Each student has their individual role in the team, but then they must come together to ensure that the parts fit together properly and that the prints are flawless.
These three students worked extremely hard, training all spring and coming in after graduation to prepare for this competition. There was a ton of pressure on them, as our teams finished 2nd and 3rd in the previous two years. They came through in fine fashion, and deserved to be crowned National Champions. I could not be more proud of them.
This summer, Jake Stein is running CNC machines at MMI Engineered Solutions in Saline and Trent Trout doing the same at TNT-EDM in Plymouth. Adam Rowland will be studying mechanical engineering at Lawrence Tech in the fall.
In addition, Nick Urquhart competed in Technical Drafting, and finished 12th out of 42 competitors despite having a mishap with his prints. I am beyond proud of him as well, as he is the highest placing SWWC student in Technical Drafting at Nationals.
Lastly, due to the growth and success of our Manufacturing program, we were selected by the Rich and Marion Leonhard Foundation to receive two new CNC machines. The value of the two machines that they have chosen to donate is over $50,000. I look forward to using them next year, and to continue producing some of the best manufacturing students in the country.
CAD STUDENTS TAKE 40 PLAQUES FROM 9OTH ANNUAL MITES COMPETITION!
For the last 90 years, the Michigan Industrial Technology Education Society has been hosting a project based competition. Around 30 or 40 years ago the regional competition was held here in Saline. This was our fifth year competing, and our SWWC CAD class had the strongest showing yet. We entered projects into around 20 different categories, including things like photo-realistic renderings of CAD drawings, blueprints, hand drawings, and model houses. The class had all 84 projects that were entered make it through regionals and qualify for states, and an amazing 40 of them placed top 3 in the state and earned a plaque. We had 9 individual state champions, 16 runners-up, and 15 third place finishes. Nice job breaking the class record!
I am very proud of my entire class and how they contributed to this years success, but I have to single out a few students. Robert Smith, Emma King, and Ruth Sullivan had really strong showings, and completed more projects than they were assigned for the competition. In five years, the SWWC CAD class has brought home 155 plaques and had 42 individual state champions, and 2 Grand Divisional winners! Congrats to all those who competed!
CAD STUDENTS FINISH 1ST AND 2ND IN TECHNICAL DRAFTING AT SKILLSUSA STATE FINALS 2018!
In April, four students from our CAD program were in Grand Rapids competing at the SkillsUSA State Championships. Ruth Sullivan and Nick Urquhart competed in Technical Drafting, while Spencer Mitton and Robert Smith competed in Architectural Drafting. They all performed very well, but it was Nick and Ruth that took the highest honors. For Technical Drafting, high school and college students are in different divisions yet they compete in the same room and are given the same problem. Nick not only won gold in the high school division, but he scored higher than the gold medalist in the college division. Since he was the top placer out of both divisions, he was given industry awards including a $1200 Herman Miller office chair and a $430 CAD Spacemouse combo, which is basically a CAD joystick and mouse. In addition, he'll be representing Michigan at nationals this June in Louisville. On top of this success, Ruth Sullivan finished 2nd and took home the silver in the same competition. She performed really well, and finished just 8 points behind Nick in a 1000 point contest! Ruth is a junior, so we are looking forward to next year and another opportunity to win a state championship. She was also given industry awards including a CAD SpaceMouse combo. First year architecture student Spencer Mitton finished 4th in Architectural Drafting, while Robert Smith finished in the top 10. Congrats to all of them for a job well done!
2016-2017 School year
MANUFACTURING TEAM FINISH 2ND IN THE NATION AT SKILLSUSA NATIONALS 2017!!!
This year's Automated Manufacturing Technology team of Tobias Schmidt, Jake Stein, and Logan Bruneau solidified the program by taking another medal at nationals this year, as they finished 2nd in Louisville! They had to produce three interchangeable parts that dependently functioned off of each other, as well as produce all of the working drawings for the assembly. This is the first time the format of the competition has changed in years, but it didn't throw our team off of their game. They were able to work together to produce all three parts and show their functionality, and took home the silver in the process. Well done!
SWWC STUDENTS PLACED WITH COMPANIES FOR INTERNSHIPS/JOBS!
We would like to thank the following companies for working with us, helping bring real world application to what we do:
Kyocera Unimerco
MMI Engineered Solutions
NSK Corporation
TNT - EDM
Liebherr
Black and Veatch
Roush
Hines Industries
Advanced Industries
SOME UNIQUE EXAMPLES OF OUR WORK!
Many people like to ask what we model and design in my classes. The answer is virtually everything! From Amiibos to Drill Press Brackets, we have it all! Here are some examples of student work done in my CAD classes:
CAD CLASS TAKES HOME 36 PLAQUES FROM 89TH ANNUAL MITES COMPETITION!
The Michigan Industrial Technology Education Society has been hosting a project based competition for 89 years now, and once again the SWWC CAD students had their strongest showing yet. There are around 25 different categories that we enter drawings/projects into, including things like photo-realistic renderings of CAD drawings, hand drawings, and model houses. This year every project that we turned in qualified for states, and an amazing 36 of them placed top 3 in the state and earned a plaque. We had 11 individual state champions, 11 runner-ups, and 10 third place finishes.
My entire class contributed to this success, but I have to single out Alex Hartman, who had 3 individual projects that won state titles, as well as another that finished runner-up and another that took 3rd. On top of this, he won a Divisional Grand Award for Excellence in Animation, which means his animation was deemed the greatest regardless of division or level! Nice job Alex! I would also like to point out that Tobias Schmidt also took home a Divisional Grand Award for Excellence in Mechanical Drafting. Congrats. In the last four years, the SWWC CAD class has brought home 115 plaques and had 33 individual state champions, and now 2 Grand Divisional winners! Congrats to all!
2015-2016 School year
MANUFACTURING TEAM FINISH 3RD IN THE NATION AT SKILLSUSA NATIONALS 2016!!! CAD 13th!!!
The Automated Manufacturing team of Nick Kurgin, Matt Hargrove, and Philip Burtell proved that the SWWC has one of the best manufacturing programs in the country when they took home the bronze at the SkillsUSA National competition this past June in Louisville! They did a phenomenal job representing our program, school, and state. The competition was tough, and the part was complex, but our boys pulled it off and finished 3rd in the nation! Congrats to all three of them. In addition, Chris Okarski finished 13th in the nation in Computer Aided Drafting after winning a state championship at SkillsUSA. Nicely done!
RECORD BREAKING YEAR AT 88TH ANNUAL MITES COMPETITION! 32 PLAQUES!
The Michigan Industrial Technology Education Society has been hosting a project based competition for 88 years now, and this year the SWWC CAD students had their strongest showing yet. There are around 25 different categories that we enter drawings/projects into, including things like photo-realistic renderings of CAD drawings, hand drawings, and model houses. The class had 81 drawings/projects qualify for states, and an amazing 32 of them placed top 3 in the state and earned a plaque. We had 11 individual state champions, 11 runner-ups, and 10 third place finishes.
My entire class contributed to this success, but I have to single out Karinne Stacey, who had 3 individual projects that won state titles, as well as another that finished runner-up. I would also like to point out that Joe Lentine created the Medical Drone (state champion) and Jigsaw Puzzle animations that you can view by clicking the imagine to the right, and Bhakari Bridgewater for his Camera Shutter animation (state runner up). In the last three years, the SWWC CAD class has brought home 79 plaques and had 21 individual state champions! Congrats to all those who competed!
GOLD, SILVER, AND BRONZE WINNERS AT SKILLSUSA STATE FINALS 2016!
The CAD programs looked to be the strongest in the state at SkillsUSA due to the excellent performances by Chris Okarski, Joe Lentine, Abby Morton, and Johnny Monge!
Chris Okarski was crowned State Champion and awarded a gold medal in Technical Drafting, while his teammate and friend Joe Lentine secured the silver by finishing just behind him in second place. That means that the two students sent to represent our school in Technical Drafting are also the best two draftsmen in the state! In addition, Chris Okarski will represent the state of Michigan at SkillsUSA Nationals this June in Louisville!
In Architectural Drafting, Abby Morton took home the bronze in a very tough and close competition. With Abby being a junior this year, she will have another shot at a state championship next year. Johnny Monge had a strong performance as well, finishing 5th in the state!
Congratulations to our students, and thank you for representing our programs so well. We are all very proud of you!
2014-2015 School year
MANUFACTURING STUDENTS FINISH 10TH IN THE NATION AT SKILLSUSA 2015!!!
Competition season has begun, and the Advanced Manufacturing and CAD students have already had a strong showing. First off, the Advanced Manufacturing team of Bryan Hinkle, Alan Wilson, and Andrew Sanderson won anther state title at SkillsUSA! How you ask? By default! After our team won a state title last year, other schools decided not to compete this year. While we were unhappy about this, we were more than happy when the team finished 10th in the nation! Way to go guys!
CAD STUDENTS DOMINATE 87th ANNUAL MITES COMPETITION WITH 22 PLAQUES!
Every year since its formation in 1928, the Michigan Industrial and Technology Education Society runs a project-based competition that covers all areas of industrial technology, from woodworking and metalworking to graphic arts. The regional competitions were actually held at Saline High School and run by Mr. Bruce Ross during the 1970s and 1980s. This year, the SWWC CAD class entered over 150 projects into 25 different categories of Mechanical Drafting and Architectural Drafting. To qualify for states, which is held at Saginaw Valley State University, a project has to finish top 4 at regionals. This years class had 113 projects move on to states. The projects fared well in Saginaw, with 73 placing top 10 in the state. 22 of the projects placed in the top 3, and those projects were awarded with a plaque. The class had 4 individual state champions, who produced the best drawings in the state in their respective category. The strongest showings came from Lizy Pollack, Max Kelley, Chris Okarski, Josiah Rentschler, Quinn Foster, and Katie Vaujin. In the last two years, the SWWC CAD class has brought home 47 plaques and had 10 individual state champions. Congrats to all students that participated!
CAD AND ADVANCE MANUFACTURING STUDENTS COMPETES AT SKILLSUSA STATE FINALS 2015!
Four CAD students competed in Grand Rapids at SkillsUSA and had a strong showing! They began the competition with Katie Vaujin and Max Kelley winning medals for thier performance on the SkillsUSA Leasdership Test! This is the first time Mr. Vasiloff has ever had a student medal on the test, and this year we had two. Representing our school in Architectural Drafting was Quinn Foster and Katie Vaujin, who placed 5th and 9th respectively. Kimmy Hays and Max Kelley competed in Technical Drafting and performed well also. Congratulations to all those who competed, and we are all very proud of you!
2013-2014 School year
LUCKHARDT, SPICER, AND HINKLE WIN GOLD AT SKILLSUSA STATES AND PLACE 11TH AT NATIONALS IN 2014!!!
Despite a computer chip literally melting and our mill rendered useless, the team pulled through and won the gold medal in Automated Manufacturing at this years SkillsUSA State Championships. They kept a cool head through all the drama, worked together, and pulled off the biggest upset Mr. Vasiloff has seen in 9 years of going to SkillsUSA! The team was able to dissect the scoring rubric for the competition and focused on the CAD aspect of the competition, and they ended up not only scoring higher than all the high school teams but the college teams as well! At Nationals in Kansas City, the team finished 11th! Great job guys!
SWWC CAD STUDENTS HAVE STRONG SHOWING AT 86TH ANNUAL MITES COMPETITION WITH 25 PLAQUES!
This year the South and West Washtenaw Consortium CAD class continued their success by taking home 25 plaques! To earn a plaque, your project must finish top 3 in the State. There are 21 Mechanical Drafting categories, and the class entered projects into 19 of them. The categories range from Orthographic Projections and Isometric Views to Manual Drawings and Photorealistic Renderings. We had 6 individual State Champions, 9 Runner-ups, and 10 Third Places! Nice job everyone! For complete results, click the MITES link on the left side of the page.
What we are most proud of is that fact that such a small number of students produced so much high quality work for this competition, and each student won at least one plaque! The class completed 80 projects to enter into the Regional competition, and 77 of them qualified for States!
HERMAN AND DIUBLE TAKE 4th AT U of M ENGINEERING COMPETITION!
It is that time of year again! The Advanced Manufacturing and Computer Aided Drafting classes are geared up for competitions, and the season started with the University of Michigan-Dearborn Engineering Competition on March 22nd. There were 61 teams competing there, and George Herman and Jake Diuble managed to finish 4th place! Way to go guys!
A STRONG COMPETITION SEASON CONTINUES WITH SUCCESS AT SKILLSUSA 2014!
After teaching 8 years in the Wayne-Westland Community School District, I took my first crop of Saline students to the SkillsUSA State Championships in Grand Rapids! Haliegh Stovall (11th) competed in Architectural Drafting, and another student competed in CNC - Milling and finished 8th. Jake Diuble (10th), Pat Drumm (12th), and Augie VanHout (6th) competed in Technical Drafting. Then there was the team of Lee Luckhardt, Ken Spicer, and Bryan Hinkle who competed in Automated Manufacturing. The competition was tough, but we ended up taking home the gold in Automated Manufacturing!