State asks local high school students to help build transitional housing
March 12, 2024 / Bonanza Jr/Sr High School construction students are building prototypes of a shed design that will be used in an upcoming Oregon Housing Authority transitional housing project for homeless across the state.
The project is expected to kick off in late March, with construction students at Bonanza, Lost River, Henley, and Mazama building the sheds and cottages. The structures are meant to sit within a pod with services provided until people get into more stable housing.
The state of Oregon will provide the funding, materials, and the training for teachers, said Adam Randall, a career and technical education (CTE) coordinator with the Klamath County School District. Training for CTE construction teachers is taking place this week at Klamath Community College.
“This is tremendous work-based learning for our students. If you’re going to build a home for someone, there’s obviously a lot more to learn than if you build a bench or birdhouse. And there’s a lot more value and purpose behind the project so buy-in from students is easy to get.”
Bonanza students are already bought in and excited for the next steps.
“The new construction program at Bonanza challenged itself to build the prototype of those sheds, and they’re the first in the region to do so,” Randall said. “It shows their assertiveness, their capabilities, and their skill level and commitment to the project serving our fellow citizens in Oregon.”
The first shed is nearing completion. In late February, a core group of students installed the siding. One of those students, senior Jacob Houser, jumped at the chance to take a construction class when the school offered it for the first time this fall after hiring CTE teacher Nick Sparks.
“I have some experience working with my dad building barns,” Jacob said as he geared up to help his team. “I think it’s good to have these classes that are more hands on. It’s hard, hard work, but at the end it’s fun. It’s a blast.”
Sparks, who spent his career in the trades as a carpenter specializing in remodels and finish work, essentially jumpstarted the school’s construction and manufacturing programs for junior high and high school students, said Bonanza Principal Jordan Osborn.
“With Nick’s background, he was able to read the blueprints and we were off and running,” Osborn said. “We could not have done that without a teacher with Nick’s background and expertise.”
Sparks teaches ag mechanics, beginning agriculture, beginning woods, and a construction pre-apprenticeship class. The program has 125 students and offers junior high as well as high school courses. Nearly $500,000 in recent grant funding is being used to buy needed equipment and get the programs up and running.
During a recent class, Sparks helped Jacob and his teammates carefully measure and install siding for the shed. However, he said, the actual hands-on work is just one piece of the learning process.
“All of our CTE classes include core curriculum such as mathematics, communication, and writing,” Sparks said. “They don’t just build a shed. They have to learn to read the plans and measure and determine the cost of supplies. This gives them an idea of the costs of time and materials when it comes to determining a sale price.”
As of late last week, the students were waiting on roofing supplies to finish the prototype, which will be used for storage. Next to the shed is the start of what will be a new chicken coop for the school’s FFA and agriculture programs. The school has a full production chicken coop and is working to get certified so they can sell the eggs produced by their chickens.
“We knew there was a significant need to expose students to the different types of trades,” Osborn said. “These students are doing so well, and I am so proud of them.”
One of those students, Layne Miranda, also is part of the core crew building the shed. A junior, he is now interested in possibly pursuing a trade in construction after high school graduation.
“I like building stuff and solving problems along the way,” he said. “It’s a good program. It works for me and it will probably work for a bunch of other kids.”
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