Eureka Springs Times-Echo When a Eureka Springs High School student discovered their vehicle had a flat tire while on campus last week, counselor Rachal Hyatt knew exactly how to help.

She reached out to Jason Hill, who teaches craft skills, plumbing and carpentry and leads the school’s SkillsUSA students.

“Ms. Hyatt called and and she had a student who had a flat tire and asked if I had some kids who might want to have a short lesson,” Hill said. “I told her we would go see if we could get it fixed up.”

And that’s just what they did.

“Some of these kids have never seen the process of changing a tire,” Hill said. “We pulled the spare tire out of the back, I showed them where to place the jack under the vehicle and we got everything switched out and put back.

“I think it was a good lesson for them. That’s a life skill that they’re going to be able to take with them long after they graduate and I think that’s extremely important.”

So are many of the lessons he gets to share with his students, in and out of the classroom.

Hill got his Arkansas Master Plumber License after being exposed to the construction trade as a Eureka Springs student. He is now in his ninth year teaching at his alma mater.

“I graduated from here and was in the same program,” he said. “When I was hired at Eureka I was looking to do something a little bit different than plumbing every day.”

That experience helps him relate to his students and serve as an example as they navigate their future career goals.

“The kids who come into my program want to do something other than just the academic stuff,” he said. “They want to work with their hands and learn how to put things together.”

While Hill teaches them the proper methods and standards of various aspects of the construction field, he also teaches his students to give back in the process.

Past projects his classes have been involved in included building an outdoor classroom behind Eureka Springs Middle School, building a storage shed and building benches that the science lab uses in the outdoor classroom.

Currently, Hill’s classes are helping do remodeling work at Eureka Springs Community Center.

“We’re helping them remodel what used to be the old cafeteria and band room and help them make it into a space where they can have events, get-togethers,” Hill said. “We’ve moved a water heater, we’re doing painting and patching sheet rock and have built some stands for heat and air units. We pretty much do a little bit of everything.

“What we do in class goes together with what we’re doing now outside of the classroom as far as projects.”

Being from Eureka Springs, seeing projects around campus and in the community means a lot to Hill, he said.

“It gives us all a sense of pride that we can go back 20, 30 years from now and if we come to an event at school know you were part of building this or that.

“I know whenever I’m driving around and I’ve got my kids with me, I’ll say, ‘yeah, I helped build that when I was in high school.’

“I enjoy doing what I do but I think the students get more out of it.”

When Hill’s students aren’t increasing their knowledge of technical skills, or working on projects, many are practicing and getting ready for the annual SkillsUSA competition, which was recently held in Hot Springs.

SkillsUSA is a career and technical education student organization focusing on trade and technical and skilled service occupations.

Hill called this year’s competitions the toughest he’s seen since he’s been leading the Eureka Springs program.

“It was a very tough, competitive year, by far the hardest we’ve had,” he said.

Nonetheless, ESHS still had a good showing with Evan Argesto winning gold in plumbing, Leo Tapia with silver in plumbing, Kristian Kruse with bronze in masonry and Shane Holloway with bronze in carpentry. Other students competed in automotive refinishing, cabinet making and electrical.

Argesto will now represent his school in plumbing competition at the SkillsUSA Nationals on June 19-23 in Atlanta, Hill said.

Seeing students compete at a state and national level is encouraging for Hill, who understands the need for more to get involved in the trade professions.

“Whenever we had the ice and snow people were trying to get plumbers to fix frozen pipes,” he said. “We need to put as many kids out in those fields as we can because, before too long, it’s going to be so much harder than it already is to get a plumber to come out and fix something at your house or at your business.

“And I’ve talked to some of the local carpenters who are building houses and they’re so far behind. They’re anywhere from a yearand- a-half to two years out. And electricians, they’re hard to come by.

“So, in my opinion, it’s extremely important for us to put out young talent and get kids interested. You’ve got to have the electricians, plumbers and carpenters to continue to build houses and do remodels … it’ll help keep the local economy going.”

Classes such as the ones Hill teaches, plus programs such as SkillsUSA, are helping students maintain that interest while also giving them a foundation to whatever post-high school educational path they choose, he said. Being able to take what they learn and use it in their personal life is also beneficial.

“If they can do some of the things that we’ve learned in class for themselves and save money down the road, that’ll be a huge benefit for them,” he said.

And that now includes changing a tire.