“One of my bosses in particular said I had the knowledge, the leadership and drive to be successful as a contractor. That, to me, was very important to have a mentor who saw value in me as a young man to give me direction and support.”
Kurt Chapman teaches construction and woodworking at Sultana High School in Hesperia, CA. At age 13, his grandfather told him, “You should always have skills in case you have to work in the trades and be financially independent, even if you go to college.” Those words stayed with Chapman throughout high school and college, and he started working in construction in 1987. What brought him to teaching in 1996 was his love for coaching and working with youth, hoping to guide them on their paths and open up career options for their futures. In his tenure as a teacher, he has earned several awards, including the 2022 Mountain Desert Career Pathways (MDCP) High Desert CTE Teacher of the Year, 2025 MDCP High Desert CTE Program of the Year, 2025 California Homebuilding Foundation Instructor of the Year, and more.
What Chapman most enjoys about teaching the trades is that the knowledge he shares can help students build something tangible with their own hands. The projects they complete and take home to show their parents and friends let them say, “I made this,” and take pride in their skills. Chapman continually improves his teaching practices through externships with unions, tours of other CTE facilities, and consulting with fellow teachers. He’ll also regularly meet with contractors in the field and at advisory meetings, seeing at job sites what materials current contractors are using and the tools and trends to incorporate into his class. His program is aligned with Building and Industrial Trades Academy (BITA) and Carpenters Union curriculum so his students can transition smoothly to trades work or the union post-graduation. Chapman also works with his school’s CTE externship coordinator to help connect students with exploratory externships. In 2024, Chapman and other colleagues crafted a five-week internship program, where 12 students traveled to different local job sites to expose them to the construction career paths found throughout their community.
Notes of Excellence:
- Chapman’s students compete in the Construction Industry Education Foundation Design Build competition and have won awards each of the past five years – from Best in Show in 2023 to Safety Team of the Year in 2025.
- Each of Chapman’s students goes through a resume building and portfolio program to take with them after graduation.
- Attendance rates in Chapman’s class are extremely high, ranging from 93 to 97 percent.