Jim Downing

Mr. James Downing is that rarest of creatures, a Colorado native.  As the principal of Power Technical, he possesses 25 years of experience in the trades and 20 years in academia.  He has had a lifelong passion for the study of History and was a teacher at James Irwin High School for 20 years.  During his tenure, Mr. Downing has instructed students at all grade levels and in nearly every high school History course offered including four different college classes at the high school.  Mr. Downing served as the History Department lead teacher for 14 years and has been an adjunct professor at Pikes Peak State College for 20 years.  He has also mentored many former and current teachers at JICHS.

Mr. Downing brings a varied resume to PTEC and James Irwin which adds a great deal to his teaching content and style.  He spent 25 years in the construction industry in a wide range of trades.  As a result of these early vocational choices, Mr. Downing did not attend college until he was a grandfather.  He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in 2002 and received an MA in History at that same institution in 2004.  Because of his rather eclectic life experience, Mr. Downing is able to connect with students on more than an academic level.  Indeed, one of the earmarks of Mr. Downing's teaching is his ability to apply the lessons of History to the current world.  That is a scarce commodity in education today.