FUENTE

Dan McClarin, of La Luz, doesn't just teach tools like drills in his shop classes at Tularosa Middle School.

He teaches tools for living, "something they can take in their education and put it to a practical use," he said.

Assisted by wife, Jennifer, he has boosted the family finances with his own inventions, building a new house and putting two daughters through college at the University of New Mexico.

"What he is really doing is encouraging problem-solving, which will help students down the road," Jennifer said during an interview at their four-acre family farm.

"He's a wonderful teacher. His students adore him," said Ruth Sanchez at Tularosa Middle School.

McClarin's latest invention is a pomegranate press. He made it from a 12-quart stainless-steel pasta pot and basket, and an adjustable press plate jack that can produce up to two tons of pressure.

"My mother, Ruth McClarin, planted the trees here 40 or more years ago," he said. "She loved the juice and said it was good for us."

Pomegranates, originally from southwest Asia, are red fruits up to 6 inches in diameter. Pomegranates are known to grow well in New Mexico, as they do in a climate band that stretches across the country.

"A great percentage of Otero County people have backyard pomegranates," said Beth Gordon, an Otero County Extension agriculture agent. "We've had inquiries in the office from people looking into establishing pomegranate orchards."

McClarin's challenge was that