In addition to overseeing Amity High School’s three CTE programs, John Stearns instructs the construction courses.

Award-winning teacher empowers students with woodworking, construction trades, and valuable life skills.

Amity High School, nestled in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, thrives in woodworking and construction trades under the guidance of John Stearns, CTE Director and Construction Trades teacher.

Stearns was awarded one of the $50,000 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools (HFTS) Prize for Teaching Excellence last year. This award includes $35,000 in funding to enhance the school’s CTE programs.

“So far I replaced some of the worn-out, handheld power tools and upgraded a couple of things in the shop,” Stearns says. “I am using a little bit of the money to offer heavy equipment training for some of my seniors this June. We are leveraging another grant to make that happen. I also plan to leverage a chunk of it along with some other money in the district to replace our 4×4 CNC with a 4×8.”

From Youth Minister to Woodworking Teacher
Stearns was a youth minister when he volunteered to work in Amity’s woodworking classroom in 2006. His interest in building, combined with a desire to teach, led him to pursue a Master of Art and Education at Western Oregon University.

After he was hired to teach woodworking at Amity full time, he aimed to develop a curriculum that would provide students with practical skills.

“I didn’t want my students to just be building projects. I wanted them to learn and make things that would be applicable to their lives after high school,” Stearns says. “In my search to find people that are doing that, I met Dean Mattson, who was teaching woodworking at North Salem High School at that point. He had the same vision that I did for what a high school cabinet and furniture class should be.”

Mattson’s vision led to the creation of the woodworking industry-recognized Manufacturing industrial Learning Lab (MiLL) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The MiLL opened in Fall of 2017. Stearns was recruited by Mattson to become the lead instructor in 2018.

“It was a great experience,” Stearns says. “I did that for two years up until Covid and then decided to return back to Amity.”

Now, as CTE Director, Stearns oversees three distinct programs: construction trades, woodworking, and metals. While his focus has shifted towards construction, his passion for woodworking remains a guiding force. He’s also bringing modern technology into the mix, teaching digital design and manufacturing, including CNC and laser technology.

“We have three lasers and a couple of CNC machines,” Stearns says. “I still have my hand in woodworking though I’m kind of on the dark side of the construction trade,” he jokes.

His woodworking background is largely self-taught, developed through personal projects and learning experiences. He emphasizes the importance of learning tool usage as a skill.

“Using tools is a skill and a skill is something you can learn,” he emphasizes. “It’s not a talent. You’re not born with it. You have to learn. You have to learn what tools can or can’t do. No matter how difficult something looks, if you break it all down to tool use, it usually ends up being really easy.”

Amity’s Popular Woodworking Program
The woodworking program at Amity High School, led by Savannah Stanton, includes exploration of the science of wood and various techniques. About 30 percent of the student body of 280 is enrolled in a woodworking class this academic year.

Stearns is a long-time active member of the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America (WCA), including serving on its Board of Directors. As a WCA Chief Skills Evaluator, Stearns says he understands the importance of industry standards. He’s committed to ensuring his students are not just learning, but also earning valuable credentials.

He plans to start credentialing his construction trades students, recognizing that “tool use is tool use.” He also aims to increase the number of students earning WCA Sawblade Certificates and other credentials.

“My hope is to credential 20 students or so this spring,” Stearns says. “That includes all my advanced construction students and all of Savannah’s advanced woodworking students.”

Stearns values the opportunity to teach students skills that will benefit them in their future careers.

“I can teach transferable skills to students who, no matter what career path they ultimately choose, can use those skills to be successful,” he says. “I can show a young man or young woman how to look someone in the eye and shake their hand on a job site, and that skill is transferable to any life path. I can teach a student how to solve a problem while looking ahead and anticipating the next issue, and that skill is transferable to any life path that student chooses. What a cool blessing that is for a teacher.”

See related articles: Sievert Steps Up and Seymour’s Tech-Ed Program Takes Off – Woodwork Career Alliance of North America.

Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Sets May 2 Teacher Prize Deadline – Woodwork Career Alliance of North America