SJSD students learn about Altec innovation challenges

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- The representatives of Altec Inc. and United Electric Cooperative, Inc. visited Spring Garden Middle School Thursday to share more about the electrical industry.

This was a part of several SJSD middle and high schools' Make48 and Altec innovation challenges.  

Both 7th and 8th-grade Digital Publication classes, as well as 12th-grade English Language Arts classes, are participating in the challenges.

Students had the opportunity to witness a boom truck in action, ask questions to learn about training, teamwork and how the electrical industry works.  

Supply Chain Analyst, Aaron Moore, explained how students are currently working to develop a product based on a prompt provided by Altec. 

“The prompt we gave them this year was how to make the linemen’s jobs more efficient or safer,” Moore said.  

He said getting St. Joseph students involved is especially meaningful since Altec is a St. Joe-based company.  

Moore said he hopes the partnership encourages students to think about what their future could look like if they choose to stay and work in the community.  

He also emphasized the value of real-world impact.  

“We can have a company come in and give them a prompt and they can just run with it and think outside of their day-to-day lives,” Moore said. 

For seventh grader Gavin Kirschner, the experience was both exciting and inspiring.  

"Just because I have never seen something like this up close, so it made it really cool, and I was excited to see it,” Kirschner said.  

Kirschner said he’s especially interested in designing something that could protect linemen workers from the elements and make their jobs safer.  

Instructional Coach for Real-World Learning, Cori Elms, said opportunities like this help students build essential life skills.  

“Oftentimes when we talk to our business partners, they are looking for young people in the workforce who can take initiative and understand the importance to what they bring to the table,” Elms said.  

Elms said she hopes experiences like the Altec challenge help students gain confidence and push beyond their comfort zones.  

She said this gives students a real opportunity to strengthen their problem-solving skills, which is one of the key traits they’re expected to develop as graduates.  

“I feel it's very important because they can talk to a lot of different business partners around our community that are considered subject matter experts,” Elms said.  

By connecting students with local industry leaders, the school is giving them more than just a project — it’s giving them a glimpse into their potential future.