Editor,

My third son is about to enter South Whidbey High School this fall. He was looking forward to taking some of the hands-on elective courses that his older brothers enjoyed.  While looking through the course book, we were shocked and disappointed that many of these classes have been discontinued. Important and engaging elective education such as wood working, metal shop and auto shop. None of these are offered anymore.

After the initial shock, I wrote to the superintendent and the principal. The responses I received made me feel as if these courses were classes “of the past,” having been replaced with Intro to Engineering and Principles of Engineering. Obviously, engineering electives are important to our young people, and how wonderful that our kids will have the chance to be introduced to engineering. But what about the importance of these other life skills and being introduced to them? Classes where kids work only with their hands. Think of all the untapped talent and potential that will never be realized. There will be kids that graduate having never held a wood working tool in their hands. I still find it so hard to believe, especially in a community that values the arts.

In the Oak Harbor School District, students can take wood working I, II, III and advance on to cabinetry. The Coupeville School District offers wood working I, II and advanced wood working. Also offered is metal shop I and II.  At South Whidbey, students can only take wood shop in middle school, and that’s if they are not in band. They’re not able to further these skills in their high school.

If you are a parent, a grandparent, a community member, an artist, or anyone who feels in any way what I’m feeling about the loss of these hands-on courses at our high school, please write to our superintendent, the principal, or write another letter to the paper. Maybe with a lot of parent and community support, we can work to get some of these classes back for our kids.

LESLIE BREEDEN

Langley