Auburn School District No. 408
915 4th Street Northeast, Auburn, WA  98002

1/17/07

NEWS RELEASE
Auburn School District Board of Directors
Honors Staff Member Lew Keliher

The Auburn School District board of directors will recognize Lew Keliher, construction and manufacturing instructor at Auburn High School, for his outstanding service to the Auburn School District on Monday, January 22, at 7 p.m. in the board room at the James P. Fugate Administration Building.

Lew is no stranger to the hardships of life and the challenges of academia. Lew’s father passed away when he was in high school leaving a wife and five children to find their way. “Thankfully I had a great shop instructor, Wray Bartroff, who kept me in line for my last couple years of school,” says Lew. Mr. Bartroff also encouraged Lew to consider attending college after high school. “When he told me I could teach kids shop like him, I said, ‘You can get paid for that?’” Soon thereafter Lew headed off to Central Washington University, graduating with an industrial arts degree and two minors—one in PE and one in computers. He also earned certification in applied math and physics. Since graduation day, Lew has taught in the industrial arts field for over 28 years, and he has coached football, wrestling and weight training for 21 years.

Lew’s educational role model, Mr. Bartroff, is one of the main reasons he is in the classroom today, teaching and inspiring kids just like Mr. Bartroff. Yet Lew has taken on more than teaching students construction technology at Auburn High School, he also teaches students important life skills—like conflict resolution and social skills—that prepare them for life beyond high school. And he has accepted a new state leadership role with the Washington Industrial Technology Education Association (WITEA).

Lew is passionate about providing kids the education necessary to graduate and move forward in life. “I encourage them to work hard to make a good life for themselves,” says Lew. Lew teaches students the ins and outs of construction manufacturing—everything from furniture to home construction to blueprint reading to power energy transportation. He also provides them opportunities for advancement through the National Center for Construction and Research’s pre-apprenticeship construction and metals program. It is a program designed for students who desire to go straight into industry after high school to earn national certification in safety and other construction-related areas.

Lew also believes in providing students the life skills necessary to reach their goals. “I let my students know it is okay to make mistakes. They will find success if they learn from their mistakes,” remarks Lew. Lew makes it a point to get to know his students, asking them about their other classes and how they are doing. “Sometimes kids aren’t getting good meals at home or don’t have someone asking them about their day, so I ask them how they’re doing, showing them I care,” says Lew.

Outside of the classroom yet still indirectly impacting students’ education, Lew has accepted a WITEA leadership role. He is currently president-elect and training to become president in March 2007. Lew will help guide Career and Technical Education (CTE) at a statewide level. “It’s important to show people how important CTE is, and one way to do this is by working with other instructors and state legislators,” says Lew. “My students learn math, science and writing in their CTE courses, and this is important to emphasize especially with the WASL forcing changes in their schedules.”

One of Lew’s other professional development accomplishments is the 400-plus page safety/training manual he created for other instructors and professionals in the field to use as a resource. It is a comprehensive manual that contains information on safety and classroom management, lesson plans, safety sheets, assessments, tests and so on. This manual integrates with state Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) and is available on CD for all educators. Lew is pleased to see it benefits others. “I’ve had instructors tell me things like, ‘You’re the man,’ for putting together this resource,” says Lew. “It took me 26 years to get the nerve to do it, but I’m glad I did.”

Despite a new leadership role, a stellar resource manual and his experience in the classroom, Lew’s goal is still simple and heartfelt: to make learning enjoyable and relevant so students can find success in life.

For more information contact Amy Spence, public information officer, at (253) 931-4713.