Dave Ebersol

Tell us why you became a teacher

I believe that education is freedom. Just like tools in a toolbox, the more skills someone collects the more doors they are able to open. Life is full of opportunities; my job is to ensure students embrace those opportunities and not miss them. I love helping students develop the skills they need to unlock their future. It is my job to ensure that every student of mine is prepared for the Monday after graduation.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I had a student on my robotics team in my first year of teaching that wasn’t doing well in school. He was falling every class. Robotics requires each student be passing every class in order to qualify to travel with the team to competition. I pulled him aside to talk about it and he started crying saying, “its inevitable for me to be failing, I’m not smart enough.” I was able to convince him anything is possible, and I would be with him every step of the way. He ended up graduating high school.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would invest $25,000 in our student-run business called Bend Manufacturing. It is comprised of 15 Juniors and Seniors. They utilize our CNC Mills, CNC router, water jet, 3D printers, Co2 Lasers, Fiber laser, and CAD skills to complete jobs for community Members. We have done jobs for NASA, props local theater, RV Design Companies, and anyone else from the community to has an Idea they want to come to life.