Along with several other new classes being offered, the new Engineering course has attracted many students and has gotten off to a good start.

Taught by CADI and  CADII teacher Phil Colter, the class offers a chance for new things.

“It’s challenging but we’ve got a lot of top quality students in here,” Colter said.

Both students and teacher alike have had to adjust and prepare for the challenges of a new course.

“There’s always some apprehension when starting something new. It’s out of my comfort zone. I’m used to doing different things but this should be an interesting course,” Colter said. “Plus our students are very smart and are picking up the course quickly.”

Students have similar thoughts.

“All of the kinks aren’t worked out of the system yet but I’m not too nervous about being the first group to test it. You just have to learn with the teacher,” senior Lauren Wertz said.

Although similar drafting courses are not required before enrolling in engineering, some of the programs and curriculum are similar.

“I’m not too nervous about it. I don’t think I’ll struggle with much because I’ve had the experience in other classes such as CADI and CADII,” junior Brett Groene said.

The class differs from other drafting and engineering classes because it covers more of the engineering field and touches on many different topics. It also uses multiple software programs, the main one being a new program called Inventor. The class is designed to train students and get them interested in engineering.

“It’s definitely preparing students,” Colter said. “It gives them a taste of what to expect in an engineering career or a college class.”

“I think the class will prepare me well. I talked to my dad who’s an engineer and it’s very similar to what he does and some of the programs used are the same too. It’s perfect for the career I want to pursue,” Groene said.

With the class covering new material, students are expected to gain experience with things relevant to the current engineering field.

“I’d have to say learning to use the Inventor program is my favorite part. It’s new and exciting,” Wertz said.

The class is the first in a series of several other engineering courses which should be added to the curriculum.