According to the National Science Foundation, 24% of all jobs in the United States are STEM related. This means in a group of four friends, at least one will be involved in engineering and design in some way. The interest in math and science begins young, and we have teachers to thank for that.
In Columbus High, we have Mr. Marcus Gillespie, Mr. Ronald Haefner, Mr. Joseph Krysl, Mr. Benjamin Loeffelholz, Mr. Levi Nielsen and Mr. Adam Whitmore as STEM teachers. Each teacher has his own unique classes to teach and educates every grade.
Mr. Gillespie works with the students in the woods shop and teaches a Woods class and two Construction courses. The construction classes are like no other, because the kids have the opportunity to meet off campus to build a house from scratch. Mr. Gillespie enjoys instructing these classes, mentioning, “Kids that don’t traditionally do well in the core classes flourish in our area because it is interesting to them!”
Mr. Krysl is a technology-based teacher and teaches courses in Solidworks Drafting, Architectural Drafting, and Intro to Engineering. In an interview, Krysl stated how much he loves teaching these classes, saying, “They are unique to Columbus High as many receive a college-like education in a high school setting.”
Mr. Loeffelholz is the metal worker of the teachers and trains kids to work with metal in Linkages (for the beginners), Manufacturing Processes and Welding (for the advanced students). There is no prior knowledge required to join these classes, and Mr. Loeffelholz advocates for new students to join every year. He expressed that, “He is glad to teach and welcomes all who want to try it out. Don’t think you need prior knowledge or experience going into these classes, you’re here to learn!”
If you have any interest in working with your hands and creating new things, make sure to get in touch with the STEM Department!