Friends of Max Hayes (FoMH) is a nonprofit organization that supports students and educators at Max S. Hayes High School, a Cleveland Metropolitan School District portfolio school. Max Hayes offers career pathways in automotive technology, construction, and advanced manufacturing, with a strong focus on hands-on learning and workforce readiness.

Each year, FoMH organizes the Max Hayes Skills Showcase, an event that gives 10th–12th grade students the opportunity to demonstrate their technical skills and showcase class projects to industry representatives from their respective trades. The event highlights the quality of education and training at Max Hayes while helping students build confidence through professional presentations and direct engagement with employers and industry leaders.

To ensure the showcase remained impactful and well-organized, FoMH needed leadership support to coordinate industry participation, prepare students and educators, and strengthen connections between the school and workforce partners.

How New Growth Helped

FoMH contracted with New Growth to provide Executive Director support for the Skills Showcase. In this role, New Growth coordinated outreach to more than 30 industry representatives, inviting them to participate in the event and engage directly with students.

New Growth also worked closely with educators to organize projects, clarify event expectations, and structure the schedule and flow of the day. In addition, the team met directly with students across multiple pathways—including diesel technology, CAD, machining, welding, and construction—to help them prepare presentations, refine demonstrations, and discuss their projects and career interests.

Support activities included:

• Assisting welding students in securing needed materials
• Meeting with construction students to discuss projects, tools, and industry opportunities
• Coaching CAD students on presenting their work professionally
• Listening to diesel students present their technical experiences and providing feedback

To further strengthen the event, New Growth secured a $5,000 sponsorship from Sherwin-Williams to support the showcase.

The Skills Showcase brought together 25 industry representatives spanning all program pathways and engaged more than 100 students. Students developed presentations and live demonstrations that highlighted both their technical skills and pride in their work.

Industry partners provided overwhelmingly positive feedback, with one representative describing the event as “the best showcase in recent memory.” The event strengthened relationships between Max Hayes and industry partners while giving students valuable exposure to professional audiences and career opportunities.