A new bike rack was installed at the home of the Osceola County Association of REALTORS®.
That’s not the news.
What’s noteworthy is the collaboration between OSCAR, Osceola County, Valencia College’s Advanced Manufacturing Program and Zenith Accelerated Learning Academy created a project that taught real-world skills. IT made the project happen, thanks to the hands and ideas of Osceola County students.
“One of the things l love about being a County Commissioner is doing fun projects that involve and engage our youth,” said Cheryl Grieb, a former OSCAR president, who put betterment funds forward to help fund the project. “We’ve partnered with Zenith the past few years. We give their students a concept, dimensions and the purpose.”
The students were asked to create and present their design for a bicycle rack for the Association’s new building. After reviewing nearly 15 submissions, student Andrew Haskins’ design was chosen, which showcases the word “HOME.”
“Nothing’s better than home, right?” Haskins said at Thursday’s unveiling.
The plan was delivered to the Valencia Advanced Manufacturing training center, which shares a parking lot with OSCAR, where students watched the dream turn into reality.
“It gives students who don’t fit for college get training in the trades, which is something we lack in the area and need to build upon,” Grieb said. “The program allows them to take their creativity, get trained and make good money off of it.”
Zenith Digital Media Teacher Debbie Bohanan said Haskins and fellow students got the chance to learn how turn drawings into 3-D concepts through Google SketchUp for this program.
“They took an idea from paper and transferred it into a computerized drawing, and find out what would work as a bike rack,” she said. “It actually turned it into a work of art.”
There’s other examples of the work of this program around the area, including a yellow bench outside of Zenith, abstract horseshoe art at the parking garage near the downtown Kissimmee train station, and art resembling Rosetta spoonbills at a St. Cloud park.
“The students create this, then come to Valencia and see the process,” Bohanan said. “Many have never seen what’s offered at the manufacturing center, and I have seniors who come out of that saying, ‘I want to do that,’ and we have a student who’s graduating from the welding program.”
Valencia Manufacturing Instructor Juan Ayala said it’s been a pleasure being involved with the program.
“Watching them go from design to final product and see the creative juices flow and put their signatures on these bike racks, that gives me the pleasure,” he said.
The 4-foot-high letters were constructed and installed by the welding students at Valencia’s training center. Galvanized racks for the bikes are fastened to the backside of the letters. The addition of the bicycle rack will allow the Association’s members to attend classes and events – regardless of their mode of transportation.
The word “Home” is meaningful to OSCAR and the realty community as it symbolizes its belief in the dream of homeownership for everyone.
Grieb said next year’s concept is already in the works.
