Building renovations: more than just tools

By: A. Migliori & I. Hopkins

Most of the time, high school students spend their day at a desk taking notes, but students in Building Renovations at Lake Shore High School experience something new every day. They’re building real projects, preparing for a career, and learning real-life skills.

Building Renovations is a Career and Technical Education (CTE) program that involves hands-on work. This class focuses on carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work. CTE provides students with real-life job experience before they graduate from high school. Senior Chris Sedita said the main goal of this class is to “further educate into trades.”

Keenan O’Neal, senior, said that they “learn trade skills, like how to learn tools, how to learn the codes of carpentry, plumbing, electrical construction.” Students learn how to use tools safely, such as drills, saws, and measuring equipment. Understanding the codes ensures that projects are completed correctly and safely.

One of the biggest differences between Building Renovations and other high school classes is hands-on work. Senior Austen Vawter said, “There is not much bookwork, and we don’t just sit around. We actually do stuff every day.” This helps keep students involved and engaged, allowing them to see the results of their own work.

Lake Shore has recently hired a new Building Renovations teacher, Jason Knight, who is a finished carpenter working in the trades, and this is his first job in education. Knight enjoys working in trades and teaching upcoming adults; he says he is looking forward to “teaching overall knowledge of trades and hoping to build their interests in pursuing a career.”

This class has already completed many impressive projects. Sedita said that his favorite project was “fully constructing a fully functioning bathroom from start to finish.” Building a bathroom involves framing the walls, installing pipes, and wiring the electrical system.

O’Neal said he was proud of building a tiny home during his first year and successfully wiring a circuit breaker. Completing these projects gives students a sense of accomplishment.

Teamwork is a big responsibility of this class. Sedita said that teamwork “makes the job safer and more efficient.” When using good communication skills with one another, it helps everyone stay safe and on task.

All three students would recommend the Building Renovations class. Sedita believes it is a good thing for both men and women to take because it teaches important life skills that can be used in the future. As Sedita said, “Knowing how to fix things yourself can save you money and make you more independent.”

For some students, Building Renovations isn’t just a class. Sedita, O’Neal and Vawter all said they are interested in becoming electricians in the future. Having this class gives them more knowledge and confidence. As Sedita said, “The longer you are in the program, the better you are.”

Building Renovations prepares you for real life, teaching many skills and opening up doors to the future in trades.

Article provided by Lake Shore Public Schools for publication in the Macomb Daily.