St. Rose Science Club Visits McCourt Equipment

The St. Rose science club kicked off their 22-23 year with a memorable meeting at Mc-Court Equipment on Wednesday, Sept.14.

McCourt and Sons was founded in 1999 by Mr. John McCourt and sons Paul, Eamon, and Connor. Eamon McCourt has a special relationship to St. Rose through his involvement with the church and constant support of the school. Additionally his two granddaughters Emma (second grade) and Clare (kindergarten) are students and members of the science club.

Members were first invited into the second-floor conference area for a safety briefing. There, students were presented with a special package emblazoned with the McCourt Equipment logo which contained safety glasses, a tape measure, ear protection and a custom cookie with the McCourt logo. Eamon McCourt briefed the students on safety then showed an overview video of the business operations.

Students were then led into the main service yard where three demonstrations were prepared. At the first demonstration students were led into a washbay which contained a Mc-Closkey rock crusher that had been returned from a job site. Two McCourt technicians demonstrated how the rock-crusher was cleaned using power washers which operated at 3000 PSI. Eamon McCourt also described how the water used was filtered into an on-site recycling system which filtered out the debris while recirculating the used water.

At the second station students stood behind a protective, red screen while a plasma cutter demonstrated its ability. The main welder spoke to the students about how the machine was operated via computerbased designs. He also described how the plasma cutting end was powered by pure oxygen, air, and over 360 volts of electricity.After the cutting, students were able to handle the fine iron dust which is collected by a special hood attached to the welding table.

At the final station an operational McCloskey rock crusher sat ready for students. Members were allowed to turn on the machine, turn on the belts, and see how the rock is fed into the crusher. As a final treat, the McCourt technicians allowed students to drive the machine via remote control. The crusher moved on tracks and can pivot 360° by manipulating the remote.

The meeting wrapped up with a special gift from the Mc-Court family and employees. During the plasma table demonstration, the science club’s logo was being cut into a sheet of metal unbeknownst to students. Eamon McCourt presented the finished logo to members at their great surprise. The cutout is a treasure for our club and school and will be cherished.

The science club appreciates Eamon and Pat McCourt, Shawn Hunger, Edward Kozel, JR Kutchka, Wayne Beseda, Mitchell Childers, and Ana Ortiz for the wonderful experience.