SANDPOINT — The Lake Pend Oreille School District’s Career Technical Education Center is almost finished and will open its doors to students when school starts in the fall. 

Boxfuls of textbooks sit ready in classrooms, and gleaming floors stretch through the hallways of the new building ahead of its Sept. 15 grand opening. 

A fresh coat of navy-blue paint covers classroom walls, reflecting the center's logo and colors, while setting the space apart from Sandpoint High School's crimson red. 

The building houses existing programs offered at SHS, including residential carpentry, sports medicine, computer network support and nursing assistance — giving students a larger, more effective space to learn. The center's automotive shop program is slated to open in the fall of 2027. 

District CTE director Alex Gray said CTE programs allow students to gain confidence in career fields they are passionate or curious about. 

“That confidence gives them a jumpstart,” said Gray, “Whether they go right into the workforce or choose some postsecondary option, I just think it sets them up for success.” 

While the center is adjacent to Sandpoint High School, school district officials said its programs extend to the entire community, not just SHS students. 

Having the center in proximity to SHS allows Priest River Lamanna High School students and Lake Pend Oreille High School students to access the programs as well, Gray said. 

LPOSD public information officer Shelby Struhs said homeschooled students can enroll in specific classes and not feel like they must "adopt the identity as a Sandpoint High School student." 

The $4.9 million building is primarily funded by a $3.5 million Idaho Career Ready Students grant from the Idaho Department of Education, as well as public funds, according to LPOSD’s chief financial and operations officer Brian Wallace. 

For several teachers, moving programs to CTEC comes with convenience, Gray said, noting that, in the past, the program's nursing assistant teacher had to travel from room to room to teach several classes. 

Her new classroom in CTEC is more than double the size of her previous classroom, allowing easier access to equipment and smoother transitions between classes. 

"This way, she can have all her resources available to her in a single classroom," Gray said. 

With additional space, the center will also provide students with an expansive learning environment. 

While carpentry students were once restricted to projects that could fit through a door, the new classroom will allow them to take on larger builds.

"They're going to be in a large space designed for carpentry with big bay doors where they're no longer limited to that," Struhs said.

Students may discover that blood is hard to handle in a nursing assistant class or realize welding sparks aren’t for them. In any case, Gray said CTE programs expose students to real-world experiences that help them determine if a prospective career field is the right fit.

“I think those are really good things to figure out at the high school level before you go off to college,” Gray said.

Upon high school graduation, many students who enroll in CTE programs walk away with industry-recognized certifications.

"It's an added value, it's a confidence builder, it's something to add onto your resume that might get you recognized more than somebody who hasn't had that opportunity," said Gray. 

Gray said CTEC exists for every student to participate in. 

“Participation by all students, I think, is huge,” Gray said. “It doesn’t matter what your background is. It doesn’t matter if you have special needs.” 

Struhs said the program offers skill sets necessary for a thriving community, especially in Sandpoint. 

"Trying to provide confidence or experience is really what it comes down to," said Gray, "Whether it's running a square cash machine or state of the art [welding.] It doesn't really matter, it's just gaining confidence."

    The Career Technical Education Center's nursing assistant classroom provides additional space, giving teachers easier access to equipment.
  

    The Career Technical Education Center classroom walls are painted navy blue to indicate its identity apart from Sandpoint High School.
  

    Textbooks fill workshop carts in the new carpentry classroom in the Career Technical Education Center.