A number of graphic arts students at the Caribou Regional Technology Center recently completed a printing project which let them share their skills with the community at large.
Over the course of about a week recently, the students worked with Lynn Jack-Merritt, Caribou Parks and Recreation office manager, and Recreation Superintendent Kathy Mazzuchelli to print this year’s summer program booklet. When all the pages were assembled and the booklets finished, students delivered them to the Rec Department.
“This is our 2014 Caribou Community Summer Programs Booklet,” explained Jack-Merritt. “Whatever is offered in the summer for kids, this booklet will tell everyone about it.” Included are recreation programs such as soccer, baseball, cheerleading and tennis, as well as events at the Caribou Public Library, the Maine Dance Academy and others.
In all, 1,200 of the books were printed. “They did a really good job for us,” Jack-Merritt said, “and the turnaround time was really quick.” She noted the CRTC had submitted the best price for the job, and in addition to keeping the work local, she believes the experience offered some real-world job experience for the students.
She worked with them to explain the department’s wishes, submitted the work digitally, and the graphic arts group took it from there. “They really did a nice job on it,” she reiterated.
“Our students print various projects for community members as a learning experience,” said Darick Williams, graphic arts instructor and yearbook adviser for the CRTC. The four students involved in the project were Nathaniel Adams, Richard Schmitt, Jesse Page and Sarah Wylie. Williams said it took the group about three school days, or about 24-30 hours in total, to finish the books.
“It came to us print-ready,” he explained, “so we copied and assembled it. It gave the students some extra steps to learn and added some different techniques, since it’s more labor-intensive to put a whole book together than it is to do one page at a time.”
Williams said it’s beneficial for all concerned when his students have an opportunity to reach out with their skills in such a way. “For them personally, it’s a chance to get to help somebody out and see their work in public,” he said. “They can say, ‘Hey, look at this — I helped print that,’ and see what they’ve produced actually being used out in the community.”
As the school year winds down, the graphic arts team is keeping busy; at the moment, they are immersed in all things graduation-related, including announcements, programs and tickets. Earlier in the year, they also worked on a 75-foot-long historical banner for the United Methodist Church’s 150th anniversary celebration, and created smaller replicas as souvenirs.
“Doing something useful for the community is much more meaningful for them than just doing projects to learn techniques,” Williams added. “They get a real sense of personal pride.”
