In yesterday’s edition, it was reported that students from the Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School have been brought on to help design new welcome signs for Evans City.

There are two welcome signs dotted around town — one on the old school property, and the other located near Skander Tire Service.

City council president Cheri Deener said both the signs are decades old, worn from age, and in need of a replacement. A recent windstorm blew some boards off the sign located near the tire shop.

“What we’re going to do is change it so that it’s an up-and-coming kind of welcome to Evans City,” Deener said.

While it’s undecided as to what extent the Butler vo-tech students will be involved — whether they’ll just be designing the signs or building them as well — we applaud the student involvement in the process.

Students are used to coursework and larger projects, but it’s rare that their talents get to extend so prominently beyond the walls of the classroom.

It would be just as easy to use a company to design and construct the signs, but the decision to involve the students who are working on honing their crafts allows them to get real world experience in the field they have chosen.

Keeping talent local ensures things like welcome signs embody the city or borough in question, and encourages students that they’re on the right path.

Deener is hoping that the graphic arts students from Butler vo-tech can create something that signifies what makes Evans City special. One council member raised the idea of prominently featuring butterflies, in honor of the new butterfly garden at EDCO Park.

Whatever the students come up with, we can’t wait to see it come to fruition.

— CM