As Kellogg High School career technical education teacher Cory North improved his classroom and equipment over the years, he noticed a surprising shift in the teenagers taking his classes.
“There’s way more pride in the students,” North said.
That pride is about to explode, North said, with an influx of industry-standard gear thanks to a grant from the Idaho Career Ready Students Program.
Kellogg was one of 68 districts and charters that received funds this month to establish or expand career technical education (CTE) programs.
Since 2023, the program has awarded over $64 million, funding 140 proposals. This round of awards totaled $2.6 million, expanding agriculture, fabrication and welding programs at Genesee High School and adding a CDL training program at McCall-Donnelly High School.
“This program has made a significant impact for our students statewide, opening doors to learning that they can use in a meaningful way after high school,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield said in a news release about the latest round of grant funding. Critchfield chairs the council that awards the grants.
North hopes the funds will help his goal of having over half of his students go into an industry or trade he teaches.
“For us here with the construction, the electrical and the welding, we have mines,” North said. “That’s what’s here. That’s what the jobs are. That’s what’s going to keep the kids here.”
‘Humbled and grateful’: Kellogg’s shop story
North had his eye on the Kellogg High School shop program for years.
He spent two decades in the Idaho Army National Guard as a mechanic. About six years ago, he took a job as the transportation director at the school district. When the shop teacher retired three years ago, Superintendent Lance Hansen asked North to take over the program.
North was thrilled. He walked into the shop, and it felt familiar. The walls were the same color as when he was a student at the school in the early 1990s. Much of the equipment was the same, too.
North would have to work hard to revamp the shop and program to prepare students for careers in construction, welding, plumbing or electrical. He spent his summer repainting one of his classrooms and the fall fundraising for new equipment. He hopes to remodel the program’s other classroom in the coming months.
“Most of the stuff in here is old, like 15 to 20 years if not older,” North said.
But new equipment is making a difference. North has already noticed a change in his students’ behavior with new welders purchased with donations this year.
“I can see a huge difference in how the kids are treating them, for one,” North said. “It’s giving them the industry standard.”
Funds from the grant will help purchase a laser engraver, plasma cutters, belt sanders and band saws, along with covering other miscellaneous expenses like replacement blades and lumber, North said.
“We are humbled and grateful for these grant opportunities, which allow us to continue investing in our students’ education and future,” Hansen, Kellogg superintendent, wrote in a news release. “The initiative and teamwork shown by our teachers and administrators demonstrate the heart of this district — finding ways to provide meaningful opportunities for our students.”
North teaches classes from welding to agricultural mechanics but emphasizes a basic knowledge of a variety of fields from his construction-focused woodshop skills (students are currently building picnic tables) to electrical.
“I just want to give them that base information so that if they have to replace an outlet in their house they feel confident doing that,” North said.
North also encourages students to think about the business side of things, from materials and labor costs to marketing.
“That way you’re sparking the interest of every kid in here,” North said.
