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Garry Bell has been the head of the FPHS Agricultural Program and Future Farmers of America Program at FPHS for 14 years
Garry Bell has been the head of the FPHS Agricultural Program and Future Farmers of America Program at FPHS for 14 years
Sometimes you can entirely switch up your life plans on the slightest whim. Garry Bell, the long-time patriarch of the Fort Payne High School agriculture program, is a fantastic example of this.
Bell spent the majority of his childhood planning to become a police officer; seeing his father work in law enforcement for more than 40 years and his mother work with the county commission for four decades seemed to set him on a direct course to becoming a peace officer.
However, by his junior year in high school, the plan changed.
“I was debating between three different things. I took my first ag class as a freshman. Mr. [Chip] Blanton was the teacher back then. There was just something about his class I enjoyed. So I was, like, I want to do that,” Bell said.
The agricultural program at FPHS breaks down into two separate pathways.
Every student starts out in Fundamentals of Agricultural Science. The class covers leadership, parliamentary procedure, general agriculture and careers, environmental science, wildlife management, plant science, animal science, metalworking, woodworking, plumbing and mechanics.
From there, it branches into a plant systems pathway (which consists of extra horticulture and greenhouse production) or the students can stay on the industrial agriculture pathway that falls more into the welding portions of ag science. This is Bell’s specialty.
“We teach all forms of welding, from oxy-fuel and plasma cutting to shield to metal arc, welding, gas metal arc welding, flux cord arc welding, and gas tungsten arc welding,” he said.
Blanton gave him practical experience and inspired his pupil.
“[Blanton] was making me teach his classes as TA, and I had to write his test and teach his classes. I realized, I could probably do this.”
Because of a lack of interest in the law enforcement path and a newfound love for the agriculture program and the Future Farmers of America Association (FFA), Bell decided to go after his passion and became a teacher.
Now in his 14th year of teaching, he’s adapted what he learned from Blanton and further developed his own style of instruction based on his unique experiences.
Similar to FPTV’s Steven Black, Bell trains students more as employees rather than strictly as pupils, including empowering some to function as shop managers.
Of course, Bell is in the shop teaching them, but when it comes to day-to-day operations, he allows his shop managers to take initiative. This allows the students to gain some real-life experience along with the conventional academics.
The setup also allows Bell to enjoy one of his favorite things about teaching: watching these students come back after his class and seeing them succeed, even if it’s not strictly in the welding field.
“That’s my biggest thing,” Bell said. “How many of my students are working in the industry now that they learned something here. Like several years ago, we started our first apprenticeship programs with Game Time and GH Metal Solutions, where we’d actually send seniors out to those work sites. And pretty much all of the students got directly hired right out of high school. I enjoy just watching them and what they’ve been able to accomplish.”
Because of Bell’s experience in the field throughout the years and the multitudes of certifications he’s gained, he knows exactly what these companies are looking for in their employees. This is why these on-site internships are so huge for these seniors.
“Everybody’s different. There’s something specific about the way they do stuff. It’s different in every single place. They learn the basics here, then they get to an industry and there’s little tweaks. You have the basic book, then once you get there, you can start adding on your own little notes.”
With several local companies eager to hire skilled welders, the program at FPHS serves as a near-perfect feeding ground for those who’d rather work out of high school instead of pursuing college.
This can work out great for these students because the majority of them already have jobs within two weeks of high school graduation.
Bell realizes the majority of the students he teaches probably won’t end up performing welding as their career, but he encourages any student torn to follow their calling.
In fact, he believes that to be a teacher, you have to feel that calling.
“If you really feel that’s what you’re being called to do, you should do it. Because it has to be a calling. If it’s just something you think you want to do, you’re not going to enjoy it.”
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