It could be called a home away from home – if your home is a garage, with teachers and plumbers in it, and the school uniform features coveralls and a tool belt.
Call it house-based learning.
It’s the Building Futures program, where Grade 10 students throughout Rocky View Schools (RVS) learn how to build a house from the ground up by working with experienced tradespeople and fellow students.
They get involved in every aspect of construction, from framing and drywalling to installing HVAC, electrical and plumbing.
Building Futures is an immersive, alternative learning program offered by Cochrane’s public school division through the Community Learning Centre (CLC), with the generous support of Kingsmith Homes.
Students from Bow Valley High School, Cochrane High School, and Springbank Community High School learn core courses (English, math, etc.) from two teachers in a repurposed garage, which also serves as their main classroom throughout the year-long house-building project.
The wet weather didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the students and teachers as they proudly showed off their nearly finished home on a rainy and windy Tuesday afternoon on June 14. The public was invited indoors for hotdogs at 54 Rivercrest Common in River Heights.
Student Denver Bonertz stood proudly beside a bench/storage box he made from wood he reclaimed from his family’s cabin in Pincher Creek. He made the legs for the rustic piece of furniture out of old railroad ties. He was not interested in selling the future family heirloom.
Bonertz said when he first heard about the Building Futures program, he jumped at the opportunity to enrol.
“We get to build a house and learn a trade,” he said.
Whenever regular classes were interrupted by tradespeople looking for a student to lend a hand, Bonertz said his hand went up first.
Plus, there were some fringe benefits.
“There’s not as much homework,” he said with a smile.
Community Learning Centre Principal Greg Rankin said along with how to build a house, the students learn real-life coping skills. They've worked hand-in-glove with actual tradespeople over the last 10 months.
“They get to understand that you need to bring your best every day to succeed,” he said.
The life lessons extended into coping with disappointments associated with a COVID-19 world. In a normal year, the house would be completed by the end of the school year, then put up for sale. That was the goal this year. But just when it felt like things were getting back to normal in the construction industry, global supply chain issues slowed the students down again, providing another life lesson.
Those delays mean they won’t be finished the house in the time frame they had hoped for.
The program allows for individualized instruction and an environment where students can pursue their passions.
Building Futures’ website states the type of student who does best in this program is one who is self-directed, isn’t afraid to take risks, can think outside of the box, and wants to experience school differently for a year.
Instructor Dave Pedersen is in his third year with Building Futures.
“From my perspective the most important part is I’m able to make learning real for students,” he said at the June 14 open house.
“For students, I think the most important part is the confidence they gain.”
Applications for the 2022-23 school year are open now on the RVS Community Learning Centre website: rvsclc.rockyview.ab.ca
