The shop class at Su Valley High has a new claim to fame: its teacher was named the best new Career and Technical Education instructor in Alaska this year.
Levi Lanning won New CTE Teacher of the Year from the Alaska Association for Career and Technical Education. The group honored him this month at its annual conference in Anchorage.
Lanning spent his adult life as a master mechanic and fabricator before turning to teaching. He is in his third year teaching at Susitna Valley Junior/Senior High School.
He teaches industrial technology to middle schoolers. The class focuses on safety and tool basics. It’s similar to the traditional woodshop class.
High schoolers can choose between classes in outdoor power equipment, welding, construction trades, cabinetry, agriculture mechanics, and technical drafting. Lanning teaches three subjects at once during some class periods.
His broad background is a tremendous asset to the school and community. Small schools like Su Valley cannot hire a separate teacher for every trade.
Lanning is the son of a machinist. He grew up tinkering. He tried college but preferred working on cars. He earned a two-year degree from WyoTech in Laramie, Wyoming. He went on to work in painting, upholstery, and auto repair.
Lanning spent three years in the sheet metal union in Hawaii. He also managed shops and dealerships there. He owned a hot rod shop in the Valley.
Coaching led him to the classroom. He has coached ice hockey, roller hockey, football, and baseball. He still coaches football and baseball at Redington Junior/Senior High School.
A fellow coach at Redington saw how Lanning bonds with players. He urged Lanning to consider teaching. Lanning does not have a Bachelor’s degree. He used the Alaska certification route for tradespeople with field expertise.
Lanning pushes students toward apprenticeships, union programs, and well-paying trade jobs. He tells them that they’ve got to do this for their future. He holds himself to that standard. He has applied to the University of Wyoming bridge program. His WyoTech credits count toward a Bachelor’s degree. He would feel like a hypocrite if he didn’t do this.
His classes draw a mix of students. They are not only the kids who ride dirt bikes and want to weld. Lanning credits building relationships with students. He knows he can look intimidating at 6-foot-5 and 330 pounds. However, his students know he is fun to be around.
He launched an after-school hot rod club for middle and high school students. Members began building the frame of a 1930s-era hot rod last year. They will keep at it this winter.
Lanning works hard, listens to his students, and does what is best for kids. The award is well deserved.
Mat-Su Borough School District Communication Relations Coordinator Jeremiah Bartz reported the original story. It was adapted for radio by Emily Forstner with help from AI. Yours truly, Lee Henrikson produced it.
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Photo courtesy of Mat-Su School District and Jeremiah Bartz