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Building a niche
By LOGAN NEILL SPRING HILL -- Amid the whirring sounds of table saws, electric drills and power sanders, Rueben Rodriguez stops to give a final inspection on a wooden computer table he recently completed. Soon he'll cart it down the hall so a grateful teacher can make it a permanent part of her classroom. The Springstead High junior has several such creations throughout the school: bookcases, picnic tables and shelf units -- all products of his time spent in Springstead's construction technology program. For the past two years, Rodriguez, 18, has been learning about woodworking, from basic house framing to the art of cabinetmaking. It's little wonder this is his favorite part of the school day. "I've always loved doing things with my hands," he says. "A lot of times school's pretty boring, but you come in here, and there's always something cool to do. If they'd let me stay in here all day, I probably would." About ninety students are enrolled in the four-year program that teaches fundamental construction trade skills. Besides offering hands-on experience in basic carpentry, masonry and electrical skills, it is a viable training ground for those wishing to find a career in the construction industry. "A lot of kids are realizing that there are pretty decent-paying jobs in construction, especially if you have some knowledge and experience," said Steve Knowlton, who has headed up Springstead High's construction technology program for the past three years. "Hopefully, what they get here will at least be enough to go out and get a job after they graduate, and much more than that if they decide to go on to vo-tech or trade school." That's why Knowlton's program tries to cover as much ground as possible in a short amount of time. All students start with fundamental skills such as hammering and sawing. First-year students must demonstrate the proper care and use of hand tools. They learn how to read blueprints, order materials and measure. And they learn how to figure out how many board feet of lumber it takes to build a wall and how many cubic feet of concrete are needed to pour a slab. As they advance to higher levels, students get more complex assignments. Besides individual projects, which are graded for class credit, Knowlton also assigns many of his advanced students special projects in school and throughout the community. Last spring, they built eight wooden shelters along the Suncoast Parkway bike trail from donated materials. A few months later, they refurbished the huge fiberglass eagle mascot that had been damaged by high winds and built a new lighted sign near the school's entrance. Knowlton believes that such projects instill valuable real-world experiences and encourage students to give their best effort, no matter how large a job is. "I've seen some things come out of this shop that you'd think were done by professionals," he said. "To me, that's a sign of pride and a solid work ethic that will hopefully follow them their whole lives." Steve Barton, a part-time teacher who has been with the school since it began offering construction technology, believes that one of the program's greatest strengths is its attraction to students who have found only marginal success academically. By offering a course with solid learning objectives, it has kept some in school who might otherwise have quit. "A lot of kids come in here looking for their niche in life," said Barton. "Face it; every kid isn't heading for college. This might offer them a chance to put their talents someplace else that's productive." Craig Geddie, 17, asked his teacher last year to show him the basics of arc welding. He became so enamored with it that he's decided to attend trade school after graduation so he can become certified. "I'm not too much of a sit-down work person," he says. "I've never really done that well with classroom stuff, but now I discovered something I really love. As far as I'm concerned, if you have a job doing something you enjoy, that's what it's all about."
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From today's Hernando Times Editorial Letters |
