Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Workforce Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Kalama High’s CTE students run retail 'Chinook Shop' born from port–school partnerships
Summary
At an AWB Institute panel, Kalama educators, a port director and students described how an advisory committee, grant funding and business engagement turned student CTE projects into a sustainable retail shop that teaches manufacturing, marketing and workplace skills.
At an AWB Institute panel on workforce development, educators, Port of Kalama leadership and students described how a local partnership turned classroom projects into a retail operation that gives students paid, hands-on experience.
Corey Torpa, career and technical education director at Kalama High School, said the Chinook Shop began as a way to teach students the full manufacturing cycle and now operates as a real business. "It's the first step—to get involved," Torpa said, describing an active CTE advisory committee made up of local employers that helps align classroom instruction to industry needs.
Torpa credited grant funding with accelerating the program. He said the class won a $100,000 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools grant that enabled equipment purchases and the program’s move into a retail space. Torpa also told the panel he has secured nearly $3.75 million in grants over six years to support program growth and industry-aligned curriculum development.
Mark Wilson, executive director of the Port of Kalama, said the partnership grew from long-standing community commitment. "It's just the commitment to it," Wilson said, adding that multigenerational companies and engaged advisory members have a stake in paying talent forward to the local workforce.
Students and teachers described how the classroom mimics a production environment. In the video shown to the audience, a student said, "It's kinda just like hands on. It's fun. I like it." CTE student Luke Smuscher told the panel he wants to study electrical engineering and that one of the program's most useful projects was 3-D printing jigs and fixtures to accelerate shop production; he also cautioned that equipment maintenance and spotty documentation can slow learning. "One of the probably the biggest disadvantage ... is the maintenance," Luke said.
Panelists urged other employers to join advisory committees, host teacher visits to industry sites and bring real projects to classrooms. "Work based learning is the scaffolding between education and the workforce," Torpa said, describing how simple activities—guest speakers, mock interviews and employer projects—help students develop transferable skills.
Audience members asked about links to community colleges and dual-credit programs. Torpa said dual-credit pathways are valuable but have created enrollment and funding pressure for his district: he estimated the district could lose about 40% of next year’s juniors and seniors to dual credits, which he described as an ongoing budget and program-planning challenge.
As the session closed, the panel invited attendees to visit the Chinook Shop table in the lobby to see student products and connect with instructors and students. The organizers also announced a small giveaway of wooden puzzles designed by students; winners were instructed to claim prizes at the registration desk.
The panel highlighted a replicable principle: sustained local engagement, responsive advisory committees and targeted grant support can create hands-on pathways that teach both technical skills and workplace behaviors.
