Feature Teacher: Mr. Crowell
Mr. Crowell’s shop class is a student favorite at B-A.
November 25, 2020
The BluePrint’s feature teacher this month is none other than Mr. William Crowell. Mr. Crowell has been a shop teacher at Bellwood for 30-plus years. A Cambria Heights graduate and alumnus of California University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Crowell played football in both high school and college and now coaches on the Blue Devils’ staff with Coach Nick Lovrich.
Mr. Crowell is quite the popular teacher among the students at B-A and has a very good reputation for making class fun, hands on, and interesting. Senior Jake Bollinger, who has had shop all four years in the high school, says, “He has taught me a lot. His class is actually one of the few classes I would look forward to every year.” Junior Jack Luensmann says, “Mr. Crowell always knows how to make you want to come back to his class and I can not wait to go back to his class next year”
The BluePrint asked Mr. Crowell a few questions about his experiences at B-A and in education.
The BluePrint: What made you want to become a shop teacher?
Mr. Crowell: I like working with my hands and giving students the opportunity to work with their hands. It’s become a lost art and I think that more people should know how to create these projects.
The BluePrint: How many years have you been teaching and how has it changed over those years?
Mr. Crowell: I’m starting my 33rd year and the classes have mostly stayed the same due to there not being much change in technology. I have noticed however that students nowadays lack some of the knowledge about woodworking that kids 30 years ago possessed.
The BluePrint: What’s your favorite part about Bellwood and teaching?
Mr. Crowell: My favorite part about Bellwood is that I come from a small town and I get the same feeling when I come to Bellwood. Everyone knows everyone and it’s nice to get to teach some of the kids that you taught 30 years ago and see their kids come through the program.
Mr. Crowell definitely is appreciated by all of his students and this school would not be the same without him. Thank you Mr. Crowell for teaching all the students and thank you for finding a way to get students to look forward to a class during their school day every single day.
