The craft of building a future

In Huntingburg, Indiana, something remarkable is taking shape inside a high school classroom. It begins with the sound of saws, the smell of fresh-cut wood, and the quiet focus of students learning by doing. Here, knowledge grows with every design, every measurement, every finished piece. 

At Southridge High School, the Crafted program is reimagining what education can look like. It gives students more than a glimpse of the real world. It places them right in the middle of it. Inside this space, they design, they problem-solve, and they bring ideas to life with their own hands.

What makes this classroom different is not just the equipment or the technology. It is the sense of purpose. The program connects students with mentors who believe in their potential, guiding them through challenges and showing them that craftsmanship is as much about creativity and confidence as it is about precision. 

Crafted is more than a class. It is an invitation for students to see themselves as builders, creators, and innovators. It is proof that when a community invests in its young people, incredible things can happen.

Each day, ninth through twelfth graders step into the Crafted classroom ready to create. The air hums with energy as they measure, cut, program, and assemble. Here, learning happens through motion. They study woodworking, advanced manufacturing, and design. They learn to read blueprints, understand materials, and master the tools and technology that turn ideas into reality. 

In this space, students discover that precision matters. That craft matters. That what you build with care can last. For junior Owen Blessinger, the lessons run even deeper. After spending the summer working for OFS, he returned to the Crafted classroom with a new sense of purpose. “It’s cool to learn about all these machines and how they work,” he says simply. His words carry quiet confidence, the kind that only comes from creating something real with your own hands. 

At Southridge High School, opportunity comes in many forms. The 4T program, created in partnership with Toyota, gives students a pathway into robotics and automation. Alongside Crafted, it completes a picture of what education can become when local industries and schools work hand in hand. These programs are not experiments or showcases. They are living examples of what happens when a community believes in its young people and invests in their future. 

In Huntingburg, opportunity no longer feels far away. It is right here, in the connection between a school and the companies that stand behind it. It is in the hands of students who are learning that their skills can shape something lasting and meaningful. Crafted is not just a program. It is a reflection of what a town can become when it believes in itself and in the promise of its youth. It is proof that the future does not have to be found somewhere else. It can be built right here, one project, one student, one spark at a time. 

In classrooms like this, the future is being built one student at a time. Crafted reminds us that when young people are given the tools to create, they also find the confidence to dream. What begins as a lesson in craft becomes a lesson in possibility. 

Want to learn more about the Crafted program? Feel free to email the Crafted instructor, Jason Diekhoff (jdiekhoff@ofs.com), for more information.