Jonathan Schwartz has found a way to turn math concepts into real problems.

A math teacher at Colfax High School for 13 years, Schwartz believes students learn not only in a traditional classroom, but also when they work with their hands.

A former contractor, Schwartz uses numbers and math calculations to design and build projects. He also understands the importance of correct measurements as well as the consequences of miscalculations.

Still, he was surprised to find skilled craftsmen and architects who didn't understand how to use math.

"When I was a college student, I worked at a cabinet shop," Schwartz said. "The shop's owner was a gifted craftsman, but he knew very little math. After I taught him basic right-triangle trigonometry, he was amazed how easy it was to calculate angles for the complex custom cabinets that he built."

So, when Schwartz saw college-bound students struggling with basic math, he knew he had to find a way to help them understand the concepts.

"I have always loved math, but the biggest disconnect is the application of math skills," he said.

When Colfax High School opened in 1963, Schwartz explained, its woodshop was state-of-the art, but it had not been utilized for several years. Some tools and machines were still on campus, but many had fallen into disrepair.

Schwartz saw that classroom has an opportunity to take math from the abstract to the tangible by giving students some hands-on experience.

He applied for and obtained grant money to jumpstart the woodshop program by developing a projects-based technology class.

The intent is to "motivate students academically by engaging them in projects -— exactly what a woodshop does," he said.

Schwartz proposed having the students design projects on computers with AutoCAD in one room and then build them in the refurbished woodshop next door.

"Design and Construction" has now become one of the most popular classes at the high school. Offered in partnership with the 49er ROP Program for the past year, Schwartz pointed out there is now a waiting list to get into the class.

"I have a mix of kids in the woodshop class," Schwartz said, "One-half had me for pre-calculus and are going on to four-year schools. The other half are trying to learn a trade or a skill."

Randi Scott, superintendent of the 49er ROP Program, appreciates what Schwartz has developed.

"He started out pretty simple," she said. "But it quickly became a pretty sophisticated program. He allows the students to use every tool in the woodshop safely and efficiently."

Since starting the program, Scott added, Schwartz has obtained several product design grants from the Lemelson-MIT invention program.

The most recent grant was to develop a folding wooden stool that also doubles as a laptop case.

In addition to funding the projects, the money enabled Schwartz to purchase additional equipment for the classrooms.

"With the help of a much appreciated grant, we were able to afford a new CNC router for the woodshop as well as the Mastercam software that it came with," explained Emmanuel Orozco, a senior who first took the class last year.

Unfamiliar with the software, Orozco, another student Bobby Nichols and Schwartz attended a Mastercam workshop at Chico High School.

"After much trial and error, I was able to learn the basics of the program, which includes not only drafting but toolpathing (telling the machine what to do," Orozco continued. "Since then, I have worked with the software ever spare minute I've had in the class and yet I still feel that I learn something new everyday."

Another second year student, Kenny Faltersack, is equally pleased with his progress.

While he focused on basic skills and learning how to be creative in his first year, the senior is focusing on the technical aspects.

"Now that I am in my second year of shop, I am really focusing on the electronic side of shop, including Mastercam where you design a project and run it through an electronic CNC router, which cuts out your project.

"Shop is really an awesome class. You learn a lot about a skill that you can use later in your life if you decide not to go to college," he said.

A resident of Colfax for six years, Schwartz believes his greatest success is his family. He and his wife, Hannah, have been married for eight years. They have three children: Jacob, 7; Ben, 5 and Talia, 2 months.

Still, Schwartz finds teaching woodshop "is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I see the kids learning at rates I have never seen before. Every new batch of woodshop students reminds me of the importance of hands-on practical learning and reinforces my opinion that woodshop (or any manual-arts) class is essential for every student."