Post Falls students are weld on their way at Elevate Academy

POST FALLS — Elevate Academy North in Post Falls welcomed its first wave of seniors at the start of this school year, and things are humming right along for every grade level. 

This week, middle school students are sharing what they’re learning about career-technical education during the school’s CTE showcases. Eighth graders visited with family and community members Tuesday as they discussed their forays into the wide world of welding.

“For the past five weeks, we’ve been practicing our welding, learning about past and future and we actually have some designs that we made,” eighth grader Aiden Hanning said, walking to a table topped with small, imprinted metal rectangles. 

“Here’s the one that I made,” he said, picking up a piece with a design on one side and his name welded on the other. “I tried to make a flower.” 

He said welding was tricky at first but has become easier. He said he thinks it’s really cool his school now offers the program for eighth graders after it was initially just for high school upperclassmen. 

Fellow eighth grader Caleb Wilson also was enthusiastic about the welding program and showed off the metal rectangle on which he welded his initials. Caleb said his dad used to be a welder. 

“He taught me some stuff,” said Caleb, who is eager to try stick and TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding. 

“I’ve been looking into underwater welding and rig welding,” Aiden added. 

Along with showcasing their work and the equipment they use, students also made posters with industry information including history, future applications and required protective gear. 

“It dates back to around 3000 B.C. in Egypt, they would hammer very hot pieces of metal until they formed together, which I thought was actually pretty interesting,” Aiden said.

Sixth grade will host the Business Showcase at 2 p.m. today and seventh grade is showcasing culinary arts at 2 p.m. Thursday.   

Elsewhere in the building, high schoolers are preparing for their future events, including a Trunk or Treat in October, a holiday market in November and other opportunities through the school's new student-led business, Elevate Industries.

"For our big school showcase, automated manufacturing is coming up with concepts for holiday-themed printed objects," said junior Connor Hamilton, who is also studying culinary arts. “We’re working on things like cookie cutters, ornaments, snowflakes, all sorts of cool little knickknacks."

Greyson Hudlemeyer, who has been with Elevate since it first opened his 10th-grade year, said the 2024-25 school year is off to a good start. 

“It’s just a great learning environment,” he said. “It’s very adaptable. Teachers offer a lot of help wherever a student might need it.” 

Greyson is studying business and culinary trades at Elevate and currently works in food service. He wants to someday open a restaurant. 

“I’m planning on getting my master’s in business administration, so I’ll take my first two years at North Idaho College and then move to the University of Idaho to finish out my credits,” he said. 

His business teacher, Kinsey Hiett, said the goal in career-technical education is for juniors and seniors to graduate with industry certifications specific to their trades as well as CTE diplomas to accompany their high school diplomas. 

Paiden Jones is also studying culinary and automated manufacturing. He started with Elevate last school year.

“I’m proud of the fact that I’ve been learning to cook more things because I’m learning at home, but I also get to learn here so I can help my family out a lot more,” he said. "I want to go to college and get a degree. Obviously, I also want to be a chef.”

Elevate Academy Principal Marita Diffenbaugh said the older students help teach the younger students. 

"They're coming in doing apprenticeships right on campus, and that's practicing, 'What does that look like to support your employer in that way?' Sous-chefs in the kitchen to working as more of a shop assistant," she said.

She said she is proud of the work Elevate has accomplished since it opened.

"The other thing I hope that our community remembers is that we are community-driven," she said. "So much of what we're doing is made possible because of the incredible participation from families and businesses."

Info: elevate208.org/north

    Eighth grader Aiden Hanning displays a piece of metal he welded at school during the career-technical education showcase Tuesday at Elevate Academy North in Post Falls.
  

    Elevate Academy eighth grade welding instruction team, from left, Colleen Ward, Pamela Jones and Sebastian Koch, worked together to create and teach a five-week unit on welding that included math, science, social studies and English language arts.