Mr. Fedorke has been an Engineering and Machine Tool teacher at the Park for 10 years. He was Ohio County Teacher of the Year and West Virginia Teacher of the Year nominee in 2019. Along with those accomplishments, he is the core of the Engineering and Machine tool programs at Park.

 After high school, Mr. Fedorke was immediately able to get a job at Island Mould and Machine Co. After twenty-nine years at Island Mould and Machine, he decided to take on education.

“I’ve always had a passion to teach,” said Fedorke.

Arriving at Park in 2013, Fedorke noticed that the program was not where it needed to be. He realized that the program’s quality depended on the number of students enrolled.

“I had one student in Engineering and two in Machine Tool, said Fedorke.

Fedorke focused all of his attention on restructuring the program and building it from the ground up.

“I declared war on the situation,” said Fedorke. 

He started by removing the old machines and upgrading to more advanced ones. Handy with a pen, Mr. Fedorke started writing advocate letters, advertisement brochures, and grants to get the funding needed to improve the program.

“As I was getting new equipment in the shop and technology up to today’s standards, the program began to grow with it,” said Fedorke. 

Students started to take notice of the program and the numbers continued to accumulate. Mr. Fedorke was able to build the program from three students to seventy-eight. He takes great pride in the engineering program and workshop that Park offers. 

“I’ve been able to circulate the state because of competitions and CTE days, and it gives me a chance to compare our program to others. I think ours is in a top position,” said Fedorke. 

Park’s Engineering program along with the technology involved in it is continuously evolving thanks to Mr. Fedorke’s willingness to integrate new software and machines. Mr. Fedorke treats Park’s program very much like a workspace with students designing and producing projects using CAD software along with CNC machines. Most recently, he and his students worked to make trophies for Speech and Debate and the Robotics team.

“All these things are great experiences for the students,” said Fedorke.

Not only was Mr. Fedorke able to develop the engineering program into what it is today, but he is truly able to make an impact on students. His main goal as a teacher is to develop students and give a boost to their engineering education and career.

“Mr. Fedorke cares a lot about his students. He allows me to explore things that interest me which in turn improves my engineering skills,” said Willoughby Fuller, a junior at Park.

Mr. Fedorke’s passion for teaching and manufacturing led to him developing an impressive program that has grown to thrive at Park. He is a teacher that thoroughly enjoys what he does, and loves to see his students succeed.

“It is really rewarding to watch the growth of students and hear the success stories after they graduate,” said Fedorke.