The Iola school district is mourning the loss of its building trades teacher.
Brett Dawson died unexpectedly early Monday morning because of a health issue, Superintendent Stacey Fager told school board members at a meeting later that evening.
Dawson taught the construction trades program at the Regional Rural Technology Center in LaHarpe. In the past couple of years, the district made a strong commitment to its long-time goal of building a house. Instead of building one from the ground up, though, the district purchased an older, two-story home located near the Bowlus Fine Arts Center. They moved it to a lot near Iola Middle School, and were ready to start a major remodel project.