The Capstone Projects being completed by four Carroll County seniors who will complete iLEAD Academy this year are as varied as the students themselves.
Gavin Pella created a flea market to be held at the Carroll County Fairgrounds, Alexis Lipe organized the Angel Tree program, Cristian Castillo-Hernandez is building a bridge near iLEAD, and Jose Gomez-Castillo has started an art business utilizing his many talents.
Each student had to select a project that fell within one of four routes - community service, self-development in an area of their choice, a connection to their pathway of studies, or an internship/co-op experience.
“Our senior capstone project is a great opportunity for students to dive deep into an area that they are interested in and learn how to develop the details and a timeline for a year-long project,” said iLEAD Academy Director Jenna Gray. “I love when they determine projects to impact the community and hopefully this will show them ways they can continue to give back to the community as an adult.”
Flea Market
The flea market will be March 23-24 at the Carroll County Fairgrounds. Currently, 44 vendors have secured booths. Space is still available by calling Gavin at 502-662-1313.
Gavin is a senior who is employed part-time by Craig’s Rental Center. Kevin Craig, who owns the business, is also president of the fair board. Gavin, who is also a junior fair board member, prepared a presentation and was able to convince Craig to allow him to use the fairgrounds for his project.
“I want this to be every year and raise money for the fairgrounds,” Gavin said.
He began his project by using a drone with the help of engineering teacher John Ashcraft. They flew the drone over the fairgrounds to get a lay of the land then drew a plan for the booths.
Gavin said the plan had to be revised, though, because there was more real estate than anticipated and he could make the booths larger.
The project was not an easy one to tackle, Gavin discovered. “I feel like it’s going to be beneficial to the community,” Gavin said. “It’s a good way to end my senior year because it gives me something fun to do.”
Angel Tree
Alexis Lipe embarked on a more emotional project of planning and operating the Carrollton Angel Tree. She recalled the excitement she felt on Christmas morning when she was a young child and realizing not every child has that same feeling had an impact on her.
“This understanding really hit me hard because I wanted every child, no matter the age, to be able to rip open a gift or two on this special morning,” Alexis said.
Alexis also works as a co-op with Commonwealth’s Attorney Leigh Ann Roberts. She has traditionally orchestrated the Angel Tree project and helped Alexis plan the 2023 event.
“After months and months of meeting and a lot of hours spent working, I was able to meet with the parents to give the gifts so they could be Santa on that morning,” Alexis said, noting several of the parents cried tears of joy.
A lot of her days are spent with criminal cases for defendants who have gotten in trouble, so experiencing the Angel Tree project was a definite highlight for Alexis. “I truly learned that there are still good people in this world. I am truly grateful for the people who spent their time and money shopping for each angel.”
Alexis is already planning for this year’s Angel Tree.
iLEAD Bridge
Cristian Castillo-Hernandez has opted to build a new bridge across the ditch beside iLEAD. Several years ago, a bridge was built for the students and utilized frequently to cross the road without having to enter the shopping center parking lot.
He has worked closely with engineering teacher John Ashcraft to learn about trust calculations (the amount of weight a bridge can hold) and beam deflection (the amount a bridge can move without collapsing). Both pieces are critical in bridge construction.
“I think everyone who goes to Subway will benefit from my bridge,” Cristian said, referring to the restaurant across the road from iLEAD. He noted he wanted to build something to help keep his classmates safe and something that will last more than five years.
Cristian has spent his summer and winter breaks working with his father at a construction company in Tennessee. He has used those opportunities to learn a lot about civil engineering and bridge construction.
The engineers have not only helped him think about bridge design, but the company has offered to pay for part of his college so he can pursue his dream of becoming an engineer. “I’m very grateful for the opportunities they have given me,” he said.
Cristian plans to begin construction of the bridge during Spring Break, the first week of April.
Art Business
Jose Gomez-Castillo is an artist at heart and has started his own business, Messy Craft. He works with canvas, creates crafts, designs and builds woodworking, such as benches and other outdoor furniture and hopes to incorporate welding into his business in the future.
“I’m good at art, welding and wood making so I thought that would be a good business,” he said.
Jose also attended the Governor’s School for Entrepreneurs last year and is putting the skills he learned at the prestigious summer event.
He can make custom pieces or recreate something a customer likes. He has made porch signs, a business logo for a cake decorating business, sold about 40 paintings and is working on a logo for a restaurant.
“It’s doing well,” Jose said. “I’ve made a decent amount of profit.”
Becoming an entrepreneur was logical for him. His mother, father and older sister all operate their own businesses. “I grew up in an environment of entrepreneurship, so I want to be an entrepreneur,” he said.
