May 8, 2025
By: Dwayne Page
After almost 14 years as a CTE residential and commercial construction teacher at DeKalb County High School, Gary Caplinger is about to hang up his tool belt.
But before he retires later this month with the close of the school year, Caplinger is being honored as “Teacher of the Month” for April at DCHS. Earning this type of recognition is not new to Gary. Three years ago, he was selected as the 2022 DCHS Teacher of the Year at the school level and was in the running with four others for the DeKalb District Teacher of the year award which went to Amanda Mullinax at DeKalb West School.
For being named Teacher of the Month for April, Caplinger received a certificate and a gift card for a meal at Fiesta Jalisco Mexican Grill.
“It’s been a good ride, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it,” said Caplinger when asked about his teaching career. “Teaching is truly a calling. You have to love kids, or you don’t belong here,” he said.
Before joining the staff at DCHS in 2012, Caplinger said he had never taught school before. “I was a self-employed contractor for 35 years in local small commercial and residential projects”.
For the last 30 years, Caplinger has also been a minister, currently pastoring at Coopers Chapel Baptist Church at Dismal.
Over the years Caplinger has seen a lot of changes in the “building trades” program as it was once called.
“For years, even before I got here, they built houses on site, but schools later got away from that. A few years ago, we went to building smaller projects like tiny houses and storage buildings. We still build them outside our shop here at the school and then sell them,” said Caplinger.
“Class time has also changed during my time here. Our administration has allowed me to double block my advanced and third year classes, so I have more time to work with those guys as they progress in their skills,” Caplinger explained.
“In the residential and commercial beginner’s semester classes, we try to get them through the safety part of instruction so they can pass OSHA certification. We then start introducing them to tools and how to develop their skills,” he said.
Asked what he plans to do in retirement, Caplinger said “I have a lot of hobbies but I’m mostly just going to piddle around”.