Erik Curtis, the Middle and Upper School Woodshop & 3D Design teacher as well as the Middle School Assistant Baseball coach, will be leaving MFS at the end of the school year.
Although his exact plans for the next year have not been announced, he still intends to work as an independent artist and find other ways to engage the woodworking community in education.
“There were opportunities that came up regarding both woodworking, sculpture and social media that would have been a poor career choice to pass up and unfortunately the timing of such would overlap the beginning of the next school year,” said Curtis.
For the past four years, Curtis has taught woodworking and 3D design classes including sculpture. “ I really enjoy being at the helm of a class that’s so different than a normal classroom,” Curtis continued, “Being able to give [students] a space, again, trying new things and seeing if it works and maybe it does and maybe it doesn’t. I think that lends itself to a lot of fun.”
Curtis’s art classes have impacted many of his students over the years: “He’s definitely made me better in the shop. He’s always pushing you. He knows everybody’s skillset and how far they can go, and he always wants you to reach that,” said Evan Kolaris ’22.
MFS alum Stephen Zakroff ’20 shared a similar sentiment: “I will always remember Mr. Curtis for the outstanding guidance and encouragement he gave me which helped me become the artist and person I am today.” He continued, “Having a teacher that was as skilled and as accomplished as Mr. Curtis was a once in a lifetime experience. I will never forget the laughs, the lessons and camaraderie we had during our time spent working together.”
One of Curtis’ favorite parts of being an art teacher is the creative freedom in designing the curriculum. He explained that he enjoyed “trying absolutely insane [project ideas] with the students, and the buy-in from the students and me telling them: ‘Hey, I have no idea if this is gonna work. Let’s try a thing.’” This laid-back approach to teaching is “how we live life,” explained Curtis.
Curtis imparted his go-with-the-flow mindset on his students. Roni Kennedy ’22, who has taken classes by Curtis for the past three years, shared that “I feel like he has a very good perspective on what matters and what doesn’t. A lot of times if I come into the class and I’m complaining about another class or just how stressed I am, he’s very good at putting those things into perspective and making me really focus on what’s actually important in life and my overall happiness and wellbeing.”
Alumni Stephen Zakroff ’20 also commented on Curtis’s impact on the school community; “Mr. Curtis was more than a teacher, he was an influencer and mentor. There was nothing I couldn’t talk to him about and he supported all his students in every aspect of their lives.”
In addition to being a wood-shop teacher, Curtis also impacted the MFS community as an Assistant Middle School Baseball Coach. “He helped me grow as a baseball player and he helped me in the outfield a lot,” said Nick Mandrackie ’24.
Curtis is closing up the wood shop and will be passing it on to someone else next year. “[It’s] been really lovely to see that folks have taken a liking to woodworking and hopefully that’s a thing that they continue to do for the rest of their days,” said Curtis.
