TRADART’s Tools for Schools program provides and distributes tools, supplies, building materials, and support to local Santa Barbara, CA, junior and senior high school woodshop and construction technology classes.
Initiated by Don Gordon in 2005, Tools for Schools allows our schools to maintain these important shop classes and allows teachers to present a more comprehensive curriculum that exposes students to the many opportunities available to them in the construction trades and prepares them for any professional or post secondary education choice or a career in construction. Tools for Schools directly serves over 1,200 students annually.
TRADART works with various Santa Barbara schools and local agencies to find creative ways to keep the programs funded. By networking with local contractors and community organizations, TRADART can assure that students enrolled in woodshop and construction classes have the necessary instructional materials to be successful as they learn the skills required to enter the local labor market – the first step in their journey to a satisfying and profitable career!
The current woodshop teachers are:
- Dave Abel (La Cumbre High School) dabel@sbusd.org
- Josh Stutzman (Goleta Valley Junior High School) jstutzman@sbunified.org
- Jake Tyler (Dos Pueblos High School Goleta) jtyler@sbunified.org
- Chris Mollkoy (Dos Pueblos High School) cmollkoy@sbusd.org
- Erik Leighland (San Marcos High School) eleighland@sbusd.org
- Justin Howe (Santa Barbara High School) jhowe@sbusd.org
- Michael Nott (Santa Barbara Junior High School) mnott@sbusd.org
Since 2006, TRADART has partnered with the following entities in the operation of the Tools for Schools program:
