Colfax High School boasts a 'super' wood shop teacher

Just last year, the Colfax High School wood shop was nothing more than a storage room filled with furniture and school supplies.

It's been serving that purpose for the last six years, in fact, ever since the previous shop teacher retired. He left around the time the recession hit, leaving the district unable to spare enough dollars to keep the class going.

But thanks to a school levy and some additional state funds, Superintendent Michael Morgan and the district decided to start an introductory wood shop course last fall - with Morgan as teacher.

Morgan said they've been wanting to add more vocational courses for the students to teach them hands-on skills, but tight budgets in recent years made it difficult to do so. Now, he's happy they were able to resurrect a course he believes will be as valuable to students now as it was years ago. "This has been our first opportunity to bring something back in that the kids enjoy," he said.

Eighteen students have signed up for the course, most of whom are sophomores and juniors. Sixteen-year-old junior Sam Dailey said his father took the course at the high school and now builds houses. Dailey, who wants to learn how to build furniture, hopes he can find similar value in it.

"I think I'll learn skills in here that I'll be able to use the rest of my life," Dailey said.

David Ross, an 18-year-old junior, used to attend school in Utah where he took a wood shop course for a brief time. A desire to continue the education he started there spurred him to sign up at Colfax.

"I wanted to finish it this time around," he said.

The shop was originally built in 1960. During its six year hiatus, the district kept much of the tools and equipment, Morgan said. Before classes started last fall, they spent two weeks cleaning the space and making sure the saws and drills were ready to use again.

Morgan has taken it upon himself to teach the class while juggling his administrative duties. It's his first time he's taught a formal class in 17 years, he said. Laughing, he admits he forgot how much lesson planning is involved, a task that often extends past school hours.

"It's not just an 8-5 job," he said.

Morgan said he taught a similar class in Springdale, Wash., for 11 years before going into administration, which eventually led him to become Colfax's superintendent for the last eight years.

Before his teaching gig at Springdale, he actually didn't have any experience in teaching woodworking. He was looking for an agricultural education job at the time and the opening at Springdale required him to teach wood shop part-time as well.

So, he sought the help of a teacher and cabinetmaker in nearby Kettle Falls, Wash., who showed him what wood to work with and what projects he should introduce to the students.

He's been utilizing those lessons at Colfax.

Morgan said the Colfax students spent much of the fall semester learning how to plan their projects through drafting. Now, they're learning how to identify wood and will begin working with myriad tools like table saws, routers, laminates, band saws and scroll saws. Eventually, they will be asked to build their choice of furniture, like a cabinet or end table.

He's been bringing in trade magazines and his own furniture from home to inspire ideas. Morgan said he hopes the course will show them what they're capable of making.

"They don't know what they can do," he said.

The district will try to continue the course next year, he said. Morgan, who wants to retire soon, prefers they hire a teacher to replace him. His superintendent role alone requires him to handle multiple responsibilities, including maintenance duties. He spent Wednesday morning, for example, plowing snow on school grounds.

"In any small rural district, the superintendent isn't just an office person," he said.

But, so far, it seems being in the classroom again has been worth it for Morgan.

"It's fun working with kids," he said. "They're creative"

Anthony Kuipers can be reached at (208) 883-4630, or by email to akuipers@dnews.com.