Scooting students toward passion for design, machining

Matthew Day

Staff

May 11, 2026

STEVENS POINT – A new sense of inspiration and invention is rolling into Mid-State Technical College next month, as a select number of sixth to eighth graders will get to experience the Manufacture Your Ride event. 

Per Mid-State’s announcement, Manufacture Your Ride will be held 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. June 17 at the college’s AMETA Center (5000 Coye Drive in Stevens Point). 

Mechanical Design Instructor Jacob Denny said the camp – aided by volunteers from local manufacturing companies who serve as mentors for the day – provides middle-schoolers a “super unique” introduction to concepts of manufacturing, as they design, machine and customize their very own scooters. 

Denny said excitement abounds heading into the Manufacture Your Ride, as its 14 available student spots were quickly claimed (with a waitlist available at mstc.edu). 

Further, he said he and other participating faculty – including Precision Machining Technician Instructors Kerry Duckart, Mike Berry and Joe Byczynski – as well as the volunteer-mentors from local companies, are just as excited as the students. 

“It’s super rewarding to get middle school students excited about [machining, design and manufacturing], and see that they have pride in building something they can ride and take home,” Denny said. 

Duckart said Manufacture Your Ride brings together mechanical design and precision machining in a hands-on way for students.

“They’re not just watching – it’s hands-on from start to finish,” he said. “By the end of the day, they’ve created something real, something they can ride, and that sense of accomplishment is pretty incredible.” 

Faculty, industry team up 

Denny said he began instructing at Mid-State last year, which coincided with the college’s then-brand-new mechanical design technology program and opening of the AMETA (Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering Technology and Apprenticeship) Center. 

From the new program’s inception, he said there was a goal to forge collaboration with the college’s established precision machining technician program. 

“We knew right away we wanted to do something to showcase not only what our capabilities were here [at the AMETA Center], but how these two different fields can work together to produce something cool,” he said. 

Denny said the idea was raised to create a camp for middle-schoolers, since Mid-State staff “already do quite a bit of outreach with high school students.” 

By the time students reach high school, he said many have already formed an opinion about entering the manufacturing industry.

“We felt like middle school was the right age to maybe build that excitement, and if they hadn’t started thinking about a future career, then maybe we could influence that,” he said. 

Denny said Duckart – who he considers “the main driver of this camp” – reminded faculty how, for most of them, it was around middle-school age when their exposure to/excitement for mechanical skills was fostered, primarily by working on go-karts. 

“We can’t give every kid in our area a go-kart,” Denny said, “but we thought a scooter was maybe the next best thing.” 

Denny said scooters “checked all of our boxes” for a middle-school workshop – as it offers an introduction to the mechanical design process, hands-on experience with tools, exposure to product development, a CNC machine programming component, assembly and, perhaps most importantly, a fun result. 

The students who attended last year’s inaugural Manufacture Your Ride event, Denny said, had “a great time,” as he and Duckart led students throughout the day, using parts created ahead of time by Byczynski and Berry. 

Further credit, he said, goes to the industry partners who helped make sure the day ran smoothly.

Denny said these volunteers from local companies contribute invaluable skills from their mechanical backgrounds, particularly during scooter assembly. 

“[Students] have that mentor [from the industry] there to guide them through – to make them feel comfortable, make sure they’re using the tools safely and properly and just answer any questions they have,” he said. 

Denny said local manufacturers are well aware of recent recruitment challenges and recognize that a rising tide of interest in hands-on mechanical design and machining is good for the industry as a whole.

“[The mentors] help show that realistic path: ‘Hey, I came and attended this scooter camp, I got exposed to some of this manufacturing, I had a lot of fun, I thought it was really cool – I can see myself going to school for that,’” he said. 

Denny said at last year’s event, nearly every student was paired with a mentor for the day. 

He said strengthening the future workforce pipeline is the goal of the program and participation from local companies helps support that effort.

Companies interested in volunteering for the upcoming Manufacture Your Ride, Denny said, can reach out at continuinged@mstc.edu.

“Simply, this is your future workforce, and the only way you’re going to end up with trained employees down the road is if we give them this experience right now – expose them to it,” he said. “Hopefully, [that will] plant the seed to allow that student to come into manufacturing.” 

Ready to roll 

The first year of Manufacture Your Ride offered 10 spots, which Denny said were claimed almost instantly, which encouraged Mid-State to expand to 14 for this year. 

Other than enrollment size, he said very little has changed for this year’s event. 

Denny said the day starts with a student welcome and an overview of the schedule, followed by safety protocols, an introduction to the facilities and the mechanical design technology and precision machining technician programs. 

“Then we jump right into the design process,” he said, adding that no experience is necessary. “They get the opportunity to sketch up and imagine their own dream scooter design, and we really try to build off of the creativity middle schoolers already have.” 

As students progress through the full process, Denny said the steps and equipment – including 3D printing and prototyping and the CNC mill – are linked to careers in design and machining, while keeping things safe, fun and engaging. 

“After they complete that, we take them over to the laser engraver and allow them to customize one of their scooter parts,” he said. “Most of them are laser-engraving their name on their scooter. They get pretty excited about that, being able to make that custom part.” 

After a break for lunch, Denny said mentor-aided assembly begins, with each student assigned an individual table with tools, parts and mechanical design prints. 

“Then they build that scooter, and then it gets to the point where they get to go test-ride,” he said, adding that Mid-State provides helmets for the students. 

And these are no flimsy, fragile scooters, Denny said – “they’re fully machined aluminum.” 

“I would argue [they’re] probably heavier-duty than a lot of what you can go out and buy for a child or a kid’s scooter…,” he said. “They’re hopefully enjoying it for years to come.” 

In addition to the assembly and customization, Denny said students are given thorough information on how and why the scooters work. 

“We also provide them with a tool kit and a spare-parts kit, with the intention that if anything ever wore out, or something came loose or they ever needed to repair it, then we want to encourage them to take that on, on their own,” he said. 

Denny said Manufacture Your Ride helps spark students’ interest in hands-on building, with the finished scooter standing as a lasting reminder of their growing “mechanical confidence.”

With last year’s success and this year’s expanded class hitting capacity, he said the strong reception will ideally lead to Manufacture Your Ride becoming an annual event. 

“We certainly hope to continue it and continue to grow it, even, and provide the same opportunity for students in the future to partake and kind of get their feet wet in manufacturing,” he said. 

Scoot over to Mid-State’s website for more information.