CURRY — For the last week, students at Curry High School have churned out dozens of wooden plaques etched with insignias like Alabama’s Crimson Tide and Curry High’s crest. The volume of the woodwork has been possible because of a traveling lab with computer-controlled manufacturing equipment. Rather than sculpting the wood by hand, Curry High students have constructed a computer-aided-drafting documents and then programmed the equipment to carve out the precise schematic.

Chris McCullar, an agriscience teacher at Curry High, went through training to have the mobile woodwork lab sent to his school, and he said his students’ involvement with the program has surprised him.

“I’ve never had anything that they were this interested in,” he said.

The lab is sponsored by Montgomery-based Alabama Industrial Development Training and the Alabama Center for Advanced Woodworking Technology in Haleyville. McCullar said six other teachers signed up for training for the equipment’s software program and the mobile lab will travel the state visiting each educator’s classroom.

McCullar said the lab allows his students to gain experience in the software used in commercial manufacturing and makes them more marketable when they enter the workforce.

McCullar said the program is funded by a grant from the Alabama State Department of Education. He added State Board of Education member Garry Warren of Haleyville was instrumental in getting the equipment to Curry.

“We are really thankful to be able to use this and that there are programs like this,” McCullar said.

McCullar also said he is thankful that Superintendent Jason Adkins has been supportive of career technical training programs like the woodworking lab.