Long Beach High Teachers, Student Present Before School Board On Technical Education Classes

LONG BEACH, NY. — The Long Beach Board of Education got a glimpse into the work being done in its Career and Technical Education programs at its Nov. 18 meeting, thanks to presentations from woodworking teacher Eric Heck, metal shop teacher Dan Lerner and Long Beach High School senior Alex Krzeminski, who joined the metal and welding program as a freshman.

The metal and woodworking classes are just a small sample of Long Beach’s career and technical course offerings, which also include architecture, automotive, aviation, business, robotics and studio production classes.

For metalworking students, the progression begins in Metalworking 1, wherein students use casting, forging and wrought iron techniques to build projects out of sheet metal, learning how to use rulers, hacksaws and other tools, doing all of it in compliance with shop safety instructions taught at the top of every course. Students construct and test their projects at the end of units, “and you can see what failed, why, and how to improve,” Lerner told the school board.

From there, metalworking students can continue their journey with advanced metalworking and welding classes, learning to operate lathes, milling machines, and drill presses with precision while gaining experience with welding, foundry techniques, sheet-metal forming and forging.

For woodworking students, the path starts from woodworking 1 where students learn to make and refurbish wood items with a combination of hand and power tools. They also learn planning, scale drawing, joinery basics, and surface finishing, before moving onto more advanced projects in woodworking 2 and beyond.

In his presentation before the board, Krzeminski gave board members a student’s perspective on what material processing classes can mean at Long Beach high, saying the courses have been more than just engaging electives.

“Each class has pushed me to my greatest strengths, challenged me, and taught me how to do something, just not tools or techniques, but also about myself,” Krzeminski said. “These programs have given me the opportunity to learn real, hands-on skills that most high school students never get the chance to experience. I learned how to cut, grind, weld and I learned how to take an idea from a sketch to a finished project. So, beyond technical skills, I learned how to problem solve, how to think creatively, and how to be patient.”

To demonstrate what the courses have taught him to do, Krzeminski showed the board a piece of raw aluminum, before swapping it out in his pocket for an aluminum spinning top he had made in metalworking class.

“Most important, the class has helped me build confidence,” Krzeminski said. “There is something powerful about taking raw material and turning it into something strong. Every time I complete a project, I feel more capable…I created this. I sketched out how I wanted it to look and I created this.”

Krzeminski’s presentation was supplemented by remarks from Lerner and Heck that outlined the curriculum in their courses, including what projects look like in each level of their courses and what career opportunities look like for students who finish them.

“Together, these courses prepare students for college programs, technical trades,
design fields, engineering pathways, and creative fabrication work by emphasizing
craftsmanship, problem-solving, precision, and real-world application,” district officials said.

Before closing his remarks, Krzeminski highlighted his thanks that Long Beach Public Schools offer their materials processing path. Friends of his in other districts and states, Krzeminski said, don’t have the same opportunities as Long Beach students in this regard.

“I also want to recognize how lucky we are to have a school that offers something like this. Not every school offers this, I have friends that go to school in Oceanside and other places, even kids in Tennessee…they don’t get anywhere near this amount of experience working with metal, or anything like that,” Krzeminski said. “These classes opened doors for me, opened doors for my future, opportunities, careers, and passion I might never have discovered otherwise. The welding and metal program at LBHS gave me more than technical knowledge. They gave me confidence in my ability, pride in my work, and the assignment for my future.”