SHOP CLASS DROPPED FOR COMPUTER COURSE; HARLLEE MIDDLE SCHOOL JOINS A TREND, BUT SOME SAY "HANDS-ON" STUDENTS MAY FEEL THE LOSS OF INDUSTRIAL ARTS.(LOCAL/STATE)

Byline: Dale White STAFF WRITER

Another wood and metal shop in Manatee County's middle schools is about to bite the dust.

Frank Morano, Harllee Middle School's industrial arts teacher for the past two years, said Thursday that he told his students their shop classes are to be replaced by computer technology classes next fall.

"Nationwide, shop classes are now considered obsolete," Morano said. But that's the opinion of professional educators who think "you don't have to make a breadbox by hand anymore; you make it by computer." Morano respectfully disagrees with that assessment.

"This school is in a blue-collar area," Morano said. "Many …