By GLEN WERLING
Kevin Morris, owner of Precision Service in Bluffton, saw a developing gap that needed to be bridged.
So he did just that, giving of his time and talents.
And for his gifts Thursday he was awarded the Northern Wells Community Schools Educator of the Year by the Wells County Chamber of Commerce.
Morris accepted the award to a standing ovation by the Norwell High School student body at The Castle.
“I accept this award on behalf the whole school corporation,” Morris said. “We’ve built an automotive program with the help of the administration and various community members. While I do appreciate this, this is a team effort.”
Morris has taught principles of automotive service, brake systems, steering and suspension at Norwell as part of the Area 18 Cooperative for 11 years.
“Kevin is an awesome teacher,” said Assistant Superintendent Anna Murphy. “He allows the students who take his classes to get dual credit through Ivy Tech — 18 dual credits — and that is awesome,” she continued.
She lauded Morris for helping Norwell fill in a last-minute vacancy in its teaching roster at the beginning of this school year when it lost its construction trades teacher. Morris took on the dual responsibilities of teaching construction trades in addition to teaching auto mechanics — and operating his own auto and truck repair shop.
“I am honored to work with him,” Murphy said.
Morris said the award was a surprise but he had a few clues that something big was about to happen. First a convocation was announced on short notice and there was some rumble among the teaching staff that it might have to do with Educator of the Year. Then, Morris said that one of his students stayed an extra period when he normally does not.
“I asked him, ‘Why are you staying?’” he recalled.
He added that several teachers pushed him down to the end of the upper deck during the convocation, ostensibly so that Morris could not see his wife and parents seated in the bleachers on the opposite end of the gym.
“It’s nice to be recognized for the work that you put in. Sometimes you get that from the kids, sometimes you don’t,” he said.
What got him to start teaching was he wanted to “get quality kids” involved with the auto repair industry because there is a need for auto technicians.
“I love what I do,” Morris said. “I think most teachers love what they do, but my kids tend to enjoy learning my subjects,” Morris said adding that students that enroll in his classes want to learn about auto mechanics. They’re engaged in the subject and that, he said, helps him and gives him more energy to keep them involved in the class.
“There is somewhere in me that drive to help kids learn, maybe change their lives so that they can go on and have careers and be able to do whatever it is that they want to do,” Morris said.
Student Wes Shane said that he most enjoys Morris’s teaching style — a hands on approach that Shane believes helps him learn best. Currently the students are learning steering and suspension and last year they learned about brakes and electronics.
“I was going to go to a college or a trade school to learn (auto mechanics), but he got me into a job (at Auto Doctor) in Bluffton where I’m actually doing career-based learning,” Shane said.
“If it gets kind of quiet in the class he can make you laugh, but if we need to be calm or get the class needs to get back together, he can do that, too. He always has a smile on his face,” Shane said.
He added that Morris encourages the students to succeed and lets them know when they’ve done a good job.
“He’s energetic and will answer any question we have,” added student Kyle Zeddis.
He said he took Morris’s Introduction to Transportation class to see if he would like to go into mechanics. “I found out I have a real interest in it, so that’s probably what I’m going to do,” Zeddis said.
Zeddis owns a project car and the students will be swapping an engine in it this school year. “That’s a good memory I’ll always have,” he said.
“One of the things I like about Mr. Morris is how he teaches a class,” said student Matthew Kraft. “He simplifies things to make it easy to understand and once we go out to the shop, he shows us how it all works. It all makes sense.”
Kraft said that Morris has influenced his decision to make auto mechanics a career. He’s planning to focus on engine performance.
“I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned how to think about how things work and how to get a task accomplished. He’s taught us how to think outside of the box,” Kraft said.
“The students love Mr. Morris. His classes have a direct impact on their lives,” said Norwell Principal Kam Meyer.
Meyer added that Morris is driven by a passion for auto mechanics and that passion shows in his students who also exhibit the same kind of drive to learn more about what he is teaching them.
“Inspiration with Mr. Morris is easy to see. He’s all about how he can help and what he can do to help. It’s not just about the students, it’s also about the staff as well. He always has a smile on his face. Those attributes are important,” Meyer said.
“I think we all need to look out for other people,” Morris said. “This world would be a better place if we look out for others and help others to learn.
“I enjoy what I do. You know the old adage, if you enjoy what you do you won’t work a day in your life,” Morris said.
When his students graduate and move on to their career of choice, he hopes that they’ll remember that he always put them first and that he had their back.
Morris was nominated for the award by Superintendent Mike Springer, who attended Thursday’s convocation but due to illness was unable to speak.
But in his letter of recommendation, Springer noted that Morris has great communication with both students and their parents.
“Effective communication establishes a relationship of respect between teachers, parents and students,” Springer wrote in his letter of recommendation,.
Morris was one of just four educators in the entire state to receive an award of excellence for outstanding secondary and post-secondary career and technical education program of study. He received that award last spring.
glenw@news-banner.com
