Over the summer, drastic changes took place of the staffing of the industrial department at PVHS.
The first change is the resignment of Grant Housman, former manufacturing and Principles of Engineering teacher. Housman discontinued his employment in early July, which left the district scrambling to hire new teachers.
“Personally I was looking to move on to something new and a position that would allow for continued growth and different opportunities in the future,” shared Housman. Housman now works as an industrial designer, developing training materials for professional development.
In his absence, the school has reorganized the staff directory. Introduction to Manufacturing and Introduction to Woods and Construction is now being taught by Joey Redecker, and Abby Parsons is now teaching the advanced manufacturing classes.
Redecker, a class of 2020 PVHS graduate, has returned to instruct after graduating from University of Northern Iowa with a degree in Industrial Technology Education. “I took the shop classes here with Housman actually and enjoyed all of them. Since then I knew that being a shop teacher is what I wanted to do. I’ve always loved the Quad Cities and knew that I wanted to move back here sometime in the future,” shared Redecker. He now shares his passion for woodworking with high school students while also teaching at the junior high for the first half of his day.
Previously employed at John Deere as a manufacturer, Parsons recently moved into teaching. “I wanted to get into teaching as it was something new and exciting. Teaching students how to weld has kept my brain active. Working at John Deere as a welder was repetitive as I did the same tasks day by day” said Parsons. Parsons now splits her time teaching welding classes between PVHS and Davenport North. She is also currently taking courses to be able to teach advanced machining classes at PVHS.
Industrial technology classes are a core part of Pleasant Valley’s education, helping many students discover their career paths, as Redecker did when he chose to become a shop teacher. After Housman resigned, it was critical for administrators to fill the vacant teaching position to continue to provide new opportunities for students looking to pursue industrial technology.
