Obsidian Middle School Wins SELCO’s Annual Classroom Makeover Program.

Redmond, Ore. (KTVZ) — Today at Obsidian Middle School in Redmond, one teacher got a big surprise. The entire school gathered for what was supposed to be a normal assembly, but it was all a setup for Selko to surprise Science teacher Dan Grubb with $15,000 as part of SELCO's Annual Classroom Makeover Program.

Mr. Grubb has really earned this prize as he is solely responsible for bringing back a Career and Technical Education program at Obsidian. He noticed that some students were struggling with school and giving them a different way to learn has made all the difference.

Grubb told KTVZ, students often have these break through moments mid-project. "when they're saying things like, 'man, my arm is sore. I've never sawn a piece of wood before'. And it's like, okay, now: now we're making something, you know, we are creating this tangible product that these students are doing on their own, with some guidance. But and there's this sense of pride when they're done with these projects, being able to look at it and go, 'I built that.' ”

The workspace the CTE class is shared with the weightlifting room, they're just getting started. A lot of their classroom is up-cycled and repurposed scraps like the wire spool tables. The tools they're using are either from Mr. Grubb or loaned to them, and so that $15,000 will be used to buy new tools for the program.

The Regional Classroom Makeovers are part of SELCO Steps Up, the credit union’s community outreach initiative, which aims to foster meaningful, lasting change through nonprofit sponsorships, volunteerism, and funding for students and educators.  

Now in its second year, the makeover program is one way SELCO Steps Up tries to meet a critical need for educators, who often dip into their pockets each school year to make even modest classroom improvements. The response from educators underscored this need, with applications arriving from across the state for a wide array of project ideas.