By Cecilia Nasmith

Teacher Matt Bonisteel is looking for community support, as he takes on the task of building the robotics program at St. Mary Secondary School into a state-of-the-art laboratory that actually prepares students for six-figure jobs in an industry where employers cannot find enough qualified workers.

And that means they actually have a choice whether to stay close to home or pursue opportunities far away.

It's a sweet deal for the students and their families, as well as the chance for these young people to put their own gifts to work in shaping the future.

Something that fantastic doesn't come cheap, of course, and Bonisteel is launching an appeal for donations and support from the community – particularly the corporate community – to invest in equipment that offers a world of possibilities for these young people.

“So they have that knowledge, so they can design basically anything,” he said in a recent interview.

This is Bonisteel's first year at St. Mary. He was hired from Belleville's Bayside Secondary School to duplicate the successful robotics program he built up there.

He is already able to show off projects St. Mary students have done with the CAD software and the 3D printer, like the wind tunnel they built and the plastic Christmas-tree ornaments they designed on the CAD software and created on the 3D printer.

But success on the scale he hopes for will call for industry-standard equipment and supporting software such as mechanical computer-aided design computers, automation and robotics equipment, 3D printers and a metal-cutting CNC (computerized numerical control) machine.

Delving into details, Bonisteel said he hopes to have at least eight high-quality 3D printers, and extended his gratitude to National Shunt Service Ltd. of Cobourg, which has already purchased one for the students.

“We do not really have a metal-cutting CNC – it will cut out any parts you need for automation and robotics out of metal,” he continued.

“I want to get these students trained in mechanical so they can go into any number of fields.”

The 26 Mechanical CAD computers he needs for what he wants to do will run to a total of $100,000.

“These are not your basic computers - Quadro graphic computers, capable of doing the moves necessary to CNC, the CAM (computer-aided machining) side of things,” he explained.

An additional ceiling-mounted projector would also be great.

As Bonisteel issues his appeal for help with getting the kind of equipment that can make a solid difference to the students, he is also pursuing other kinds of support.

Back at Bayside, they were able to collaborate with nearby CFB Trenton on some educational projects. Locally, he is also looking for partnerships, such as one that allows him to test out different 3D printers. He's especially liking the Prusa one, which might make his wish list.

He has spoken with a local businessman to see the robotics he has created and tasks his machines can perform. He would like to see them co-ordinate on a robotic-arm project, where he can control it remotely and guide the students through the same training their workers would get.

“In the future, I am looking at a robotic arm that is used in industry and having students program it,” Bonisteel said.

“I have built my own robot by 3D printing. You can 3D print, you can plasma cut...”

Not every secondary school has a robotics program, he said – in fact, he would say that the high school that does is a rare find. And getting support for their programs can be tricky.

He is grateful for the $7,500 in support from the First Robotics competition, for example, but it was in the form of pre-fab kits. They are a good start, but his aim is to have the students move beyond that.

“I am used to designing my own robotic parts,” he said.

“You need to design your own stuff to understand how mechanical CAD works and design your own parts. That leads to $100,000-plus jobs.”

The last robotics team he had at Bayside was the only one in the whole school board, he recalled. Calling up a photo from one of his past Bayside teams, he says that they're all engineers now. One of them is working in Artificial Intelligence.

“We do both autonomous robots and micro-controllers. I have had students design their own CNC machines.”

He is working toward fielding a St. Mary team next year, but even that isn't cheap. Entry fees run from several hundred dollars all the way up to $6,000 to enter First Robotics. And as in sports, you get better when you compete with the best.

And the requirements for the projects they enter call on every skill the students can muster, right down to the wiring diagrams.

“For every competition, they have to produce a high-quality diagram, which should be industry standard,” Bonisteel said.

“Last year we had a student place sixth in Ontario for mechanical CAD. We have had three finishers in welding in the past decade.”

When he left Bayside and walked into his St. Mary classroom that first day, he found rows of desks. He has since built worktables, cupboards and benches, all with an eye to accommodating the equipment he hopes to be able to bring.

“I definitely want to see this happen here,” he stated.

“I came from a school where we had all this stuff. I know what it can be, and I really want to see it to fruition. We are in the growth phase here.

“I am really hoping to have a state-of-the-art automation facility so students, when they graduate from here, they not only have mechanical CAD experience, but can also build their own robots as well.

“That is one of the reasons they brought me here, to see if we can grow this and make it into something of a state-of-the-art facility where people send their kids if they want to be serious about automation and robotics. By partnering with local leaders in this area, they will be able to have a smooth transition into good careers or further training.”

Bonisteel has had sponsorship from Honda Canada for several years, and they have donated $2,500 for his St. Mary campaign.

years.

“Without that kind of support, you can't do it,” he said.

“This is the future. It's shocking to me we do not have more students trained to go into robotics

“I hate to say it – I think some people are afraid of their jobs being replaced, but we are in a transition period where realistically their jobs are going to look somewhat different,” he said.
“These student deserve the best. They deserve the best-quality equipment that will be used in industry. I don't want to see stuff that's not going to get them into careers.”

One landmark date for his campaign is Catholic Education Week 2023 (April 30-May 5).

A project of this size will take more than one year, he acknowledged, and perhaps it can be done by Catholic Education Week 2024. For 2023, however, he hopes to throw his doors open to show what they have done at that point, with supporters invited to see their generosity at work. There will be a donor wall to acknowledge their contributions, as well as a letter from the school and an invitation to the event where they can showcase the difference this kind of support has made to the students.

If you would like to be part of this project, you can contact Bonisteel at 613-921-2811 or mbonisteel@pvnccdsb.on.ca