Chris Olson is a music teacher at Probstfield Elementary whose family has a long history with Moorhead Area Public Schools. Chris himself is a Moorhead High School alum, having graduated in 1992, as were his parents Stan and Margie, both in the MHS Class of 1961. He also follows in the professional footsteps of his mom and dad: Stan was an MHS woodworking teacher for 31 years; Margie was a family and consumer sciences teacher and later substitute at MHS for 39 years.
When Margie passed away in February at age 80—Stan had passed in 2020 at age 77—Chris and his wife Lynne decided to renovate and then move into Stan and Margie’s house. The Olsons contacted Epic Homes in Fargo to inquire about the project.
As Tyler Spriggs from Epic met with the Olsons to walk through the house, he immediately noticed the gun cabinet in the corner. “Tyler said it looks just like the one he made in high school,” Chris recalled. “So I asked him, ‘Who was your teacher?’ and he said ‘Stan Olson.’
When Tyler learned he was standing in Stan Olson’s basement, he was blown away. His words impacted Chris deeply. “He told me that dad was his favorite teacher and those classes are a big reason why he’s working in construction now.”
Spriggs, MHS Class of 2005, took woodworking with the elder Mr. Olson before he retired in 2003. He grew up in a family of contractors, but taking woodworking at MHS helped cement his passion for building.
“Mr. Olson had a special way with us. He was a fun teacher and had everyone’s attention starting on the first day of class,” explained Spriggs. “He understood that everyone in his classes had different backgrounds and experience with woodworking. He wanted everyone to try their hardest, improve over the year and, most importantly, feel joy in what they created.”
Chris reports that he has been making connections with numerous former MHS students who took classes from his dad in hopes of hiring as many as possible to be a part of the remodel. He sees parallels to his parents’ work in the district’s present-day mission—particularly at the MHS Career Academy.
“It’s super-cool to see kids finding a career in something that they love to do with their hands because they love to create,” added Olson, who himself is in his 26th as a teacher in the district. “Today, the district has that with career and technical education at the Career Academy. It’s the future of what mom and dad were doing in their time at Moorhead High: hands-on learning for everyone that helps some students discover the careers they want to pursue as adults.”
And while Chris’ work at Probstfield makes him the Olson having the most impact on today’s generation of students, Stan isn’t done yet.
“I have a nine-year-old son that has watched me over the years and has started to take an interest in woodworking,” said Spriggs. “He’s built a few tables of his own and loves working with his hands. I believe Mr. Olson has played a part in my son’s love for woodworking as well!”