Summer camp at Triton College goes deep into letting kids build stuff
Cicirello went to Triton College in River Grove, where she spent a week welding, exploring trade tools and manufacturing along with her peers. She liked it well enough but it was just a summer camp, another week in another summer break in a long line of summer breaks, the same as every school year. It wasn't like she was particularly interested in welding, she recalls.
'It was mainly because my parents signed me up for one of the workshops at GLOW (Girls Learning to Weld),' she explained.
But welding lit up something in her. Four years and a trip across a high school graduation stage later, she went back for more.
'I realized I don't know what I wanted to do for college,' she said. 'I noticed that Triton has a welding certificate and then I remembered I went to welding camp.'
And now, in 2025, Cicirello is back at Triton College, this time as a summer camp counselor. Last week she led 14 middle school students through a submarine summer camp. The camp, Building Giants Manufacturing Camp, was a hands-on chance for kids to learn some mechanical skills. Ostensibly, it was a week of learning STEM skills and putting classroom lessons to the test with motors, gears, electronics and a pool filled with water.
But at this summer camp, instructor Atingone Sharris said, the kids are really learning about themselves. These students are discovering who they are, what they like and what they might do with their lives. As with Cicirello, Triton may not have seen the last of some of the students when the camp ends.
Sharris recalled that when she went to Lane Tech, it was still very much a technical high school, meaning the kids got to manufacture things. They learned how to build, and she loved it.
'I took shop classes when I was a kid and I was my father's shadow before that when I was in grade school and we repaired everything,' Sharris said.
In the decades since, she's watched high schools shift focus away from hands-on technical skills such as repairing motors and welding and move into more academic-oriented fields like computer engineering and, more broadly, college-readiness.
Sharris said that model leaves behind a lot of kids who would be interested in building things and making something but never do because they don't know those jobs even exist — nobody offered the introduction.
Sharris said community college summer camps can serve as that introduction and, for people like Cicirello, they have been that introduction.
'These are the vehicles to help improve people's lives,' Sharris said. 'They don't get access to these experiences in school.'
It shouldn't be this way, Sharris believes. School should be the place where students get help figuring out what kind of work they want to do — schools should provide the launch pad for careers. And if not high school, then community college — but why even wait until graduation?
'You shouldn't be waiting until you graduate to finally touch a tool, it's terrible,' she said. 'If you want to be a writer, you can be a writer in high school.'
Summer camps like hers allow students to do more than make submarines and work with motors and wiring and soldering. They can ignite a lifelong passion.
'If you get to here,' she said, pointing to her heart, 'the rest will take care of itself.'
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Chicago Tribune
12-08-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Summer camp at Triton College goes deep into letting kids build stuff
In 2019, Izzy Cicirello was 13 and, like a lot of other middle schoolers, packed off to a summer day camp. Cicirello went to Triton College in River Grove, where she spent a week welding, exploring trade tools and manufacturing along with her peers. She liked it well enough but it was just a summer camp, another week in another summer break in a long line of summer breaks, the same as every school year. It wasn't like she was particularly interested in welding, she recalls. 'It was mainly because my parents signed me up for one of the workshops at GLOW (Girls Learning to Weld),' she explained. But welding lit up something in her. Four years and a trip across a high school graduation stage later, she went back for more. 'I realized I don't know what I wanted to do for college,' she said. 'I noticed that Triton has a welding certificate and then I remembered I went to welding camp.' And now, in 2025, Cicirello is back at Triton College, this time as a summer camp counselor. Last week she led 14 middle school students through a submarine summer camp. The camp, Building Giants Manufacturing Camp, was a hands-on chance for kids to learn some mechanical skills. Ostensibly, it was a week of learning STEM skills and putting classroom lessons to the test with motors, gears, electronics and a pool filled with water. But at this summer camp, instructor Atingone Sharris said, the kids are really learning about themselves. These students are discovering who they are, what they like and what they might do with their lives. As with Cicirello, Triton may not have seen the last of some of the students when the camp ends. Sharris recalled that when she went to Lane Tech, it was still very much a technical high school, meaning the kids got to manufacture things. They learned how to build, and she loved it. 'I took shop classes when I was a kid and I was my father's shadow before that when I was in grade school and we repaired everything,' Sharris said. In the decades since, she's watched high schools shift focus away from hands-on technical skills such as repairing motors and welding and move into more academic-oriented fields like computer engineering and, more broadly, college-readiness. Sharris said that model leaves behind a lot of kids who would be interested in building things and making something but never do because they don't know those jobs even exist — nobody offered the introduction. Sharris said community college summer camps can serve as that introduction and, for people like Cicirello, they have been that introduction. 'These are the vehicles to help improve people's lives,' Sharris said. 'They don't get access to these experiences in school.' It shouldn't be this way, Sharris believes. School should be the place where students get help figuring out what kind of work they want to do — schools should provide the launch pad for careers. And if not high school, then community college — but why even wait until graduation? 'You shouldn't be waiting until you graduate to finally touch a tool, it's terrible,' she said. 'If you want to be a writer, you can be a writer in high school.' Summer camps like hers allow students to do more than make submarines and work with motors and wiring and soldering. They can ignite a lifelong passion. 'If you get to here,' she said, pointing to her heart, 'the rest will take care of itself.'
Chicago Tribune
05-08-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Triton College's Troy Care Collective offers resources to students in need
Knowing that not every student can afford food, transportation, housing and clothing, Triton College is working to add care and compassion to the educational offerings at the River Grove institution of higher learning. The Troy Care Collective is a network of supportive services that provides critical resources needed for the well-being of students and tries to let them focus on their schooling. The new network of services integrates two existing programs with two new ones, all taking the name Troy, the ancient home of the school mascot Trojans. The college already offered Troy Mart, which provides food and hygiene supplies to students facing financial challenges, Troy Rides, which offers transportation assistance for students having trouble getting to and from campus. A new element is the Troy Safe Haven Program, which offers immediate safe housing through local shelter and hotel partnerships as well as financial support for rent, deposits and utilities, and childcare assistance for students who are parents. The school also added Troy Style Station, clothing closet for students, ensuring they have access to necessary attire for school and work. Julia Willis, who has been a dean for three years and employed by Triton for five, knows there are many students who will benefit from the program. 'Basic needs support is academic support,' Willis said. 'When we care for the whole student, we support the whole journey.' And she noted that it's 'hard to learn on an empty stomach.' Troy Safe Haven comes from a grant written last October through the Illinois Community College Board. When Willis learned funding was available, she pushed for the pilot program 'If they need housing, we have a partnership with a couple hotels in the area, some shelters we've connected with, and other resources,' Willis said. In a 2024 survey of 164 respondents, 43 students self-reported experiencing homelessness or being at risk of homelessness. The grant was received in February, 'so we're making sure students know about it. We can get eight to 10 days for a student to stay there,' Willis said, giving students time to find permanent housing. A portion of the $25,000 grant helps students who need help with childcare, Willis said. 'It's not a lot but it does what it needs to do,' Willis said. The Fashion Club at Triton is involved with finding clothing for the Troy Style Station, Willis said. Stephanie Townsend, Triton's director of student support initiatives, said the program can help students prepare for a job interview, for example. 'We try to do as much as we can to help so they know where to go and how to get it,' she said. Troy Mart resulted after Willis didn't like how students had to stand in line for the meal pantry at the financial aid office. She felt it could be a stigma for some. She looked at meal plans at other colleges about 'how we can make it different and not so daunting for them.' 'Why not make this into what it needs to be, a Troy Mart?' she said. Space for Troy Mart was carved out in a room at the counseling center where students can go 'without feeling alienated.' The new location opened in November 2023 and has frozen foods, snacks, treats and fresh food. It's run by students. 'It takes the stigma away,' Willis said. Students also can order fresh meals to eat on campus and get food to take home if needed, Willis said. Meals are prepared by other students. Troy Rides already have proven popular. 'Last year alone, we dispatched probably over 600 rides,' Willis said. 'In Troy Mart, we serve 3,000 to 4,000 students.' Troy Rides also started in late 2023. Townsend was inspired by having car trouble. 'One day, I had issues with my car. I was at Nissan. They asked if they'd give me a lift. They had a system set up with companies (to provide transportation.) That's when I came back to Dean Willis and we scheduled a meeting with Lyft,' Townsend said. Rides are free for students and have taken them as far as Chicago's South Side, Willis said. We've helped students who have had deaths in their family, house fires. We've had students in our office crying,' Townsend said. They are realizing we care as a community. That's what we do. These services tie into that, not just for basic needs. A student comes here to better themselves, but they also have the resources needed in order to do so and not have to say 'I'm done because of this' or 'I have this barrier',' Willis said. They can continue, complete, move on, get a job, you name it because they have the resources and support here on campus. 'It's student life,' Townsend added. 'We want to make sure our students feel comfortable to be themselves.' Countryside resident Brigette Dolinski, 48, is one of the students to benefit from Troy Care Collective. On July 29, she paid a visit to Troy Mart for supplies like frozen food entrees and some snacks as a reporter was being given a tour. 'I'm just happy they have this because I'm going to be here (as a student) in the fall and I'll be working in work-study and going to classes. This means I'll have something to eat. 'I'm a diabetic. You don't want my sugar to go low because I could pass out and you don't want my sugar to go high. I have to have something in the middle,' Dolinski said. She will attend Triton this fall to work on getting a bookkeeping certificate. Troy Care, she said, 'helps me because I'm not working and I don't have money. I get a Social Security check and that goes to (pay) bills.' According to Willis, the Troy Care Collective was a natural step for the college to take and reflective of Triton College's mission: Valuing the individual, educating and serving the community. 'If we have students who are struggling to pay their rent, get food, or are on the verge of homelessness, how can we expect them to maintain their academic focus,' Willis said. 'This is another avenue for us to support our students. By making sure they get their basic needs met, we can help them meet their goals.'
Chicago Tribune
09-06-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Small plane carrying six crashes off the coast of Sunset Cliffs
A small plane with six people aboard crashed into the ocean about 3 miles off Sunset Cliffs Sunday afternoon, prompting a search involving several agencies. The Coast Guard received the report at 12:50 p.m. and began searching the debris field with several assets, including a Jayhawk helicopter, a C-27 airplane, the Cutter Sea Otter and two smaller boats, said Petty Officer Charlie Valor. None of the people believed to be on board had been found by early evening as the search continued, Coast Guard officials said. The plane was a Cessna 414, which is a pressurized, twin-engine aircraft designed to carry six to eight passengers, according to officials. San Diego lifeguards initially assisted with the search, then were called off after it became clear the plane went down in water that is probably 200 feet deep or more, a spokesperson said. 'The U.S. Coast Guard alerted San Diego fire department lifeguards after receiving reports from vessels of a large splash approximately three miles off Sunset Cliffs,' said Candace Hadley, a spokesperson for San Diego Fire-Rescue. 'Lifeguards responded with several rescue vessels (boats and some personal watercraft), who located an oil sheen and some debris on the water,' Hadley said. She said lifeguards requested additional support from the Coast Guard because of the depth of the water being searched. The Coast Guard has since assumed responsibility for search, rescue and recovery operations. 'Initial debris recovered by lifeguards have been turned over to Coast Guard authorities. Our Triton vessel is currently on standby in case there is any additional need for assistance,' she said. The high-performance Triton is equipped with hoses and can be used to fight fires. This is the second private plane to crash in the San Diego area in the past 2 1/2 weeks. On May 22, a Cessna 550 Citation II jet crashed into a Murphy Canyon neighborhood, damaging a four-plex in the military housing area and setting 20 vehicles on fire. Six people on board the jet — the pilot and five passengers — were killed in the crash. Miraculously, only a few people suffered minor injuries on the ground. The FAA and NTSB are investigating the cause of that crash. Officials noted the plane was heading to Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in Kearny Mesa on a foggy evening when the plane clipped a transmission line about 120 feet in the air. In that incident, the plane had departed from Teterboro, N.J., then stopped in Wichita, Kan., before heading on to San Diego. With Sunday's crash, it was not immediately clear where the plane had taken off from or its intended destination.
