When Superior School Shop Teacher Jeff Schultz sends out his annual call for project requests, he never quite knows what will come back.

This year, the list from teachers and administration was so large that it took every construction, woods, and welding student he teaches to complete it.

“Each year we send out to all of the teachers asking what’s on their wish list,” Schultz explained. “I tie the projects into my curriculum with the construction class, but this year the list was a little bigger, so it was all hands-on deck with everyone.” 

What is normally a beginning-of-the-year flurry of requests turned into a steady workload, with only one or two stragglers still trickling in.

Despite the challenge, Schultz and his students completed a remarkable lineup of projects in just the first few months of school. Their work ranges from practical classroom improvements to pieces that now serve the broader community. Recent builds include a patriotic storage unit with custom-cut plaques for Vicky Nytes’ French and History classes, custom shelving installed in Samijo Firestone’s junior high science class, and a mobile podium for the BPA (Business Professionals of America) program. One of the standout efforts was the epoxy-inlaid countertop for the Bobcat Boutique. 

“The kids went ga-ga over it,” Schultz said. “They even installed lights in with the speckles.” 

The welding students added their own touch, stamping the school logo into the metal end brackets. Another community-centered project, Kuhl’s Littlest Library, now hangs proudly on the wall of Flat Creek Mercantile near Mullan and River Street. The small red barn-style book house, complete with a shingled roof, was designed and built by students to serve as a free book-sharing station for residents.

Schultz is quick to point out that Superior’s flourishing shop program isn’t powered by him alone. The program is supported by four dedicated community members, retired craftsmen who donate their time, skills, and mentorship.

“These kids are kind of spoiled,” Schultz said with a laugh. “We have four individuals who are retired guys that come in and donate their time. They don’t want to be paid; they don’t want to sub. They just want to help the kids.” 

Mr. Allen teaches welding and is currently guiding Finn Cataldo, who is a  high school senior, as they transform an aluminum boat into a full drift boat. Mr. Cook stops in regularly to offer blacksmithing instruction and expert tips. Mr. Davis, a professional rod maker who works at Darlow’s ACE, helps students craft custom fishing rods. Mr. Beedy assists students with cutting and welding projects. 

“We’re definitely very happy to have all of this help,” Schultz said. “If a contractor came in and said, ‘Hey, I’m retired and I want to get a program going,’ I’d be all over it!”

Schultz has watched with admiration as high schools in Great Falls and Billings gained national attention for building entire houses as part of their shop curriculum. Through coverage by skilled-trades advocate Mike Rowe, many Americans learned that Montana students have constructed dozens of full-scale homes, 48 since 1998 in Great Falls alone.

“That’s super cool. I wish we could,” Schultz admitted. “I don’t know enough to start a house from scratch and build it all the way up, so the kids here couldn’t do it because I don’t know everything that would be needed.” 

For Superior to take on a project of that scale, Schultz said, the program would need a contractor willing to teach the process start-to-finish. Still, he isn’t ruling out the possibility. If the right mentor stepped forward, he said with a grin, “Let’s get going; I’d be all over it!”

Schultz’s students are learning more than technical skills. They’re discovering problem-solving, teamwork, craftsmanship, and the satisfaction of seeing something they created used every day by their teachers, classmates, and neighbors. Under the steady guidance of Jeff Schultz, Superior’s shop program continues to deliver hands-on learning with real-world impact, one project at a time.

    The countertop in the Bobcat Boutique break area started as a slab of timber and became an epoxied wooden masterpiece with electric lights down the middle in the colored speckles. (Monte Turner/Mineral Independent)
  

    Michael Cooper, bBusiness/technology teacher, shows off the mobile podium the Superior shop class made for Business Professionals of America students. (Monte Turner/Mineral Independent)
  

    Vicky Nytes, high school French/junior high History Teacher, asked for a storge box never expecting such a detailed patriotic container that she uses every day. (Monte Turner/Mineral Independent)