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LYND - An integration grant is making it possible for students from Russell-Tyler-Ruthton to take shop at Lynd, and school officials in both districts say it's working well.

"We would not have the shop class (without the grant)," said Jim Burns, dean of students for RTR Middle School, who approached the Lynd district about sharing shop. "We got rid of our shop equipment years ago and that classroom is being used for something else. They wouldn't be able to take shop until they go to high school."

Lynd has 40 students in the three grades, said Jason Swenson, principal of Lynd, and Caron Hoversten, business manager. They figure RTR has about 130.

RTR's sixth-graders have taken shop in Lynd for three years; this is the first year the seventh- and eighth-graders joined them.

"There's such an interest over in RTR to have shop added," said Mark Greenwood, Lynd's shop teacher for 25 years. "They take a lot of interest in it. The students really enjoy it, that's the thing. They're so enthusiastic about coming in here."

"I think it's important," Burns said. "Hands-on, they don't get that in any other curriculum we have. It's good for them to do that and have something to take home and show off at home. They seem to be enjoying it."

"We try to get some projects that are advanced, not just simple ones," Greenwood said. Right now, the eighth-graders are making mantle clocks and nautical clocks; the seventh-graders are making toy trucks and the sixth-grade is making pump-handle lamps.

Everything is done from scratch; "no kits," insisted Greenwood.

"It's like a bee hive in here," he said, with students running routers, palm sanders and other tools. "So much going on."

And the students are learning more than they think, like math, measuring and geometry. They are learning how to operate tools and read rulers, tape measures and tri-squares.

"A lot of time, they're not thinking consciously of using the skills," Greenwood said. "They're doing a lot of math and not realizing it."

They also have to clean up after themselves and keep the shop clean.

"They are responsible for the tools and for each other," Hoversten said, "finishing projects and cleaning up."

"What we're trying to do here is lifetime skills," Greenwood said.

All this and more is possible because Lynd Superintendent Bruce Houck applied for the federal integration grant in 2003, said Hoversten.

"We wanted to bring more money into the district," said Hoversten. The district had tuition agreements and shared middle school sports with RTR and Marshall districts, but they wanted to do more.

"It was a unique plan," she said. "The state didn't have a plan like ours out there, so it was granted pretty quickly."

When the grant came through in a few months, Lynd immediately upgraded its Spanish program, said Swenson. Art was added the second year. Third year saw Family and Consumer Science (home ec) and computer classes. Music and choir came and went. "Now it's shop," Hoversten said.

"It's grown," Swenson said. "We're looking at other options. If it's successful, we continue it; if not, we look at other avenues and how we can continue sharing."

When Burns asked about sharing shop, Swenson was on board.

"I wanted our students to have more shop, as well," he said.

Lynd's sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders had shop before, Hoversten said, but not all year.

As of the 2009-2010 school year, half of RTR's sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders come to Lynd every morning for a semester of shop and Spanish, while their classmates take FACS (home ec) and computer. In the second half of the year, they will switch. Lynd students go to Russell at 2 p.m. for FACS, art and computer technology all year, Swenson said. Each district is responsible for transporting their own students.

The grant also allows Lynd to host a two-week culture/language camp in the summer, take field trips to the state capitol and Festival of Nations and visit the Lake Benton Opera House.

The grant allows Lynd to offer programs it would not otherwise have.

"Spanish would be one of the top ones to go without the grant," Hoversten said. "The teachers are directly paid through the grant.

"RTR wouldn't have the special art teacher, Tessa Dierks, without the grant," she said. "She's paid through the grant."

Lynd would not be able to utilize RTR's art teacher, Paul Tuszynski.

"He'd still be an art teacher at the high school, but we wouldn't get his services," Hoversten said.

Lynd intends to keep requesting the money for the grant each year.

"It brings something to the kids they don't have in their own districts," Swenson said.

"My hope is that it continues," said Burns. "I think it's a valuable experience for them. Things seem to be going well."