SALISBURY — Salisbury High School, home of Rowan-Salisbury Schools’ Career and Technical Education Advanced Manufacturing Academy, announced that it will be hosting an open house showing off the newly-expanded Metals Manufacturing Lab in October.

The public is invited to tour the facility from 5 to 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 1, in the Lash Building at Salisbury High, located at 500 Lincolnton Road. Free parking is available near the gymnasium.

“The open house event is a unique opportunity to see firsthand what we are doing in this growing program,” SHS Metals teacher Mark Wells said. “Launched just a few years ago, our Metals Manufacturing Program has been steadily expanding, equipping students with valuable skills and experience in the industry. We aim to establish a stronger connection with our community and the local industry.”

Salisbury High’s metals program is one of only 12 offered statewide through CTE programs at North Carolina public schools. Wells recently forged a unique partnership with Tim Isely, a Rockingham Community College faculty member and director of Computer-Integrated Manufacturing Workforce Development, which enabled the donation of more than $250,000 in equipment for the metals lab.

Wells and Isley met last year at a conference sponsored by Haas and Phillips Corp. When Wells learned that Rockingham Community College would soon install all new Haas equipment, he inquired about the old equipment.

Isley answered the call. With Isley’s advocacy and the help of Stacey White, the executive director for Rowan-Salisbury Schools CTE, the equipment was procured, transported and installed at Salisbury High this summer. In gratitude for his role, Isley will be an honored guest at the open house on Oct. 1.

“The generosity of this donation allows students to have more engagement with the machines, better preparing them for the workforce,” said Wells, a journeyman tool and die maker who worked almost 30 years in the industry.

According to the Rowan Economic Development Commission (EDC), manufacturing is one of the top five employers in Rowan County. The Rowan-Salisbury Schools CTE Department works closely with the EDC to build CTE programs that match the employment needs of Rowan County. 

For more information, contact Anne Hoffman, Salisbury High CTE Career Development Coordinator, at hoffmanac@rss.k12.nc.us.