Reborn Cabinets hosted their annual MFG Day (Manufacturing Day) event on Friday, October 1, 2021 at their manufacturing location in Anaheim, California. Approximately 120 students from four schools from Anaheim school districts attended the event: Magnolia High School, Savanna High School, Western High School, and Walker Junior High School. AWFS® Education staff Adam Kessler and Adria Salvatore attended the event to represent the Society of Wood Manufacturing (SWM).
Students spin the wheel for prizes at the SWM booth.
At the SWM booth, students answered wood trivia questions for a chance to “spin the wheel” and win prizes including t-shirts, hats, and bluetooth speakers. The students were engaged and excited to play. Some of the trivia questions were:
“Name two types of hardwoods”
“What is the purpose of a pilot hole?”
“Identify this measurement on a ruler”
“What is the weakest type of joint?”
The students’ knowledge certainly varied depending on their course level. “We really enjoyed connecting with the students, and they had a lot of fun playing the trivia game”, said AWFS® Education Manager Adam Kessler. “Some students wanted to hang out and talk with us, we asked them about their career goals and what they liked about woodworking.”
Reborn Cabinets toured the students through their showroom and manufacturing facility.
The highlight of the event was a tour of the Reborn Cabinets manufacturing facility. The students also learned about career opportunities at Reborn, and a pizza lunch was provided for the students. Anaheim City Council member Steve Faessel also attended. Mr. Faessel is a community college CTE instructor and has spoken to the students at previous MFG Day events. Due to COVID precautions, the 2021 event program was scaled back to focus on the tour only, however messages from local representatives and dignitaries are an important element of the event and are expected to return in 2022.
MFG Day is a national campaign to introduce students and educators to careers in manufacturing through plant tours and corporate events. It takes place every year on the first Friday in October (but events can be hosted at any time in October or throughout the year). You can find MFG Day events here.
SWM is a local chapter of AWFS®, focused on connecting industry professionals and companies with schools. SWM meets monthly; if you are in the Southern California area and would like to join SWM meetings or upcoming events, please e-mail Adam Kessler at adam@awfs.org.