After falling off a roof, Mr. Tim Carpenter packed up his professional carpentry knowledge and hit the books to become an outstanding CTE instructor. For over 15 years, Tim has graced the halls of Hamilton High School and is on his way to becoming a legend at Butler Tech. Below are two nominations for Tim Carpenter from his colleagues.
“In the four years I have worked with Mr. Carpenter, I have never known there to be downtime in his lab. His students are consistently and constantly engaged in the work at hand, many times with various projects that are centered on student voice. In addition, Tim’s program is extremely popular, particularly with the school and community at large, and his students are entrusted to design and construct multiple projects that benefit so many facets of both the city of Hamilton and the school district. Mr. Carpenter exemplifies CTE norms through consistent risk-taking, productive struggles, and seeing the best in both his peers and students. Tim is being nominated because I don’t know that there is another career tech teacher in our organization that does as much outward-facing community service as his program does. He plays an instrumental role and is usually not one to shy away from a challenge or ask. His program constructed the picnic tables for the Urban Backyard in Hamilton, the flower boxes for the Benison Center, a shed for an elementary school in Hamilton, an oversized Adirondack chair for Noonan’s Beverage, a swing set for a multi-handicapped child, a news station desk for a partnering elementary school, and a stage for a theater performance for another. The list goes on. Not only do his students engage in community service projects, they are also learning life-long skills that benefit them after graduation, including being servant citizens. Mr. Carpenter also ensures his students obtain multiple Industry Credentials, from OSHA 10 to Forklift, as well as compete in the career tech student organization SkillsUSA. You will never see Tim angry or raise his voice with his students and his classroom and lab are always one of multi-tasking student engagement. I am thankful to have him as one of my teachers.”
~ Amy Webb, Satellite Supervisor, Butler Tech
Tim actively recruits underserved populations within his career field and yields one of the most diverse BT classrooms. Tim seeks out opportunities for all of his students including Girls Who Build, experiences for latina/o communities, and bringing students to BT BAC. Every project is linked to the Hamilton community and beyond. Traveling down Main Street, his student work can be seen across town. Noonan’s Big Chair, picnic tables at the HUB, news desks at Lakota Schools, and set productions for the local middle school – WBL at its’ finest. Tim seeks out opportunities for all students including Girls Who Build, experiences for latina/o communities, and bringing students to Butler Tech Business Advisory. Every project is linked to the Hamilton community and beyond. Traveling down Main Street, his student work can be seen across town. Noonan’s Big Chair, picnic tables at the Hamilton Urban Kitchen, news desks at Lakota Local Schools, and set productions for the local Hamilton middle school – WBL at its’ finest. Principal Jon Szary comments ‘Mr. Carpenter is an asset to the school community, our students, and the Hamilton community. The experiences that Mr. Carpenter creates for his students are engaging and meaningful for the improvement of our community. Mr. Carpenter is a genuinely inspirational educator and leader within this profession.’ Tim nails speaking his truth, taking risks, and timelines daily. Ann Rush commented ‘With the district push for Work Based Learning, I am often working to find community opportunities that might serve to help teachers with this effort. When the principal at my children’s school expressed the need/desire for a news desk to be built, the offer of the project as a WBL experience was offered to several different teachers…Tim was the very first teacher who responded excitedly to take it on. He and his students worked diligently to create the news desk envisioned…even ensuring that the remote-controlled lights stayed in place and were able to deliver the completed news desk to the principal prior to the start of winter break, where the principal had students unwrap it as an early holiday present for the school. It was incredible to not only see the joy of the principal upon delivery but also the pride of the students when I stopped by Tim’s lab to help them complete the WBL paperwork.’ Pairing WBL and community service is an educational homerun. Tim’s impact is noted by both districts he serves and beyond.”
~Crissy Lauterbach, Innovative Teaching and Learning Coordinator