Aaron Howard feels at home teaching in Eugene Brooks Intermediate School. The Webutuck graduate is teaching technology to seventh graders, and material processing, residential structures and agricultural construction to high school students.

His classroom is in EBIS, near the gymnasium where his wife Kathleen teaches physical education and where his children, eighth grader Nolan and fourth grader Elaina, attend school.

“So far, we’ve had great participation and we’re building good relationships,” said Howard of his first week of teaching.

Howard said his agricultural construction class would be building a shed at the elementary school. Howard and his class will be working with Amanda Coppola, elementary school principal; and Walt Kilmer, director of facilities.

“She expressed the need for a storage shed for their outdoor recess equipment,” said Howard. “I did a little site visit with her, and we’re working with her and Walt Kilmer. I thought it was a great fit for the agricultural construction class where we’re not building an entire barn but an 8-by-10 shed will illustrate the same principals and skill sets.”

Howard added they will come up with some plans, some estimates and go back to the customer for approval.

“We’ll do a lot of the building and framework here in the classroom and with assistance move it over to the site,” said Howard.

Howard served in the U.S. Marine Corps. for seven years after graduating from Webutuck in 1999. He previously served as farm manager at LionRock Farm in Sharon, Conn., which was a farm that also hosted weddings on the weekend and had four houses on site for guests to stay in.

Howard, who also was previously the fire chief in Amenia, started teaching Sunday school during Covid at Immaculate Conception in Amenia. He enjoys fishing with his family and competes in a Tuesday night golf league at Hotchkiss School.

Howard received his transitional certificate from New York for career and technical education, and is currently taking online courses through SUNY Oswego to complete his studies for his professional certification.