Career Technical Education teacher Lamar Hanger has earned a Construction Education Friend Award from the Associated General Contractors of California. Photo Credit: Fontana Herald News
I am always eager to share news about an exceptional educator who has earned recognition for their work with young people. One of these is Lamar Hanger, a teacher from Fontana, California. He has earned a Construction Education Friend Award from the Associated General Contractors of California.
Lamar teaches courses in the Building and Construction Pathway at Fontana High School in Fontana. The program is part of the school’s Career Technical Education Department. He has worked at the school since 2021.
In the past three years, this amazing educator has nearly tripled the number of students enrolled in the General Construction program. The program provides students with a practical, real-world STEM education, supported by a curriculum approved by both the state and the district. This curriculum features projects and hands-on learning.
When Lamar started at the school, his first project was to remodel the old wood shop classroom into an updated training lab. To accomplish this, he sought donations of tools and materials from local contracting companies with which to equip the lab, and he enlisted the aid of students to help with the construction tasks.
In April, 2022, Lamar led a group of his students to the Construction Industry Education Foundation’s Design Build competition. The students, who had received only five months of instruction, placed second in the competition and garnered Rookie of the Year honors.
Before becoming a public school teacher, Lamar worked 32 years as a union carpenter. He has demonstrated considerable expertise in construction, welding, metal-stud framing, and lath. In fact, he has completed freeform lathing projects on several attractions at Disneyland theme park. Lamar also worked as an instructor for the Southwest Carpenters Training Fund, a program that trains apprentices for eight years before they serve as a special representative for Southwest Carpenters.
To read more about Lamar Hanger, click on this link to an article about him published by the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
