The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Students gain hands-on construction experience
Project involves comprehensive renovation of house on Meldon Drive in Mentor
The construction management students of the Lake Shore Compact have started working on a comprehensive house renovation project in Mentor.
The Lake Shore Compact is comprised of the Mentor, Euclid and Wickliffe school districts, with Mentor being the lead district. This career technical consortium offers its senior construction management students the opportunity for real-world, hands-on construction experience to prepare them for employment or further education opportunities in their field after graduation.
This is the third year that Mentor School District has purchased a house for the students working with local contractors to fix up.
“When I proposed this three years ago, my idea was since we can’t buy land in Mentor because we only have a very small budget, to go around to houses in Mentor that have been kind of left alone,” said Charlie Stewart, construction management instructor.
This year, there are 12 students: 10 males and two females, with eight of the students coming from Mentor and four from Euclid.
According to Jason Crowe, director of the Lake Shore Compact, this is an authentic renovation project that involves the students tearing off and installing a new roof; installing a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system; updating the plumbing and electrical system; installing insulation and drywall; redoing two full bathrooms and reshaping the kitchen.
“The first year of the program, students learn the foundation skills,” Crowe said. “In year two, we wanted that authentic learning experience and I don’t think you get more authentic than this.”
The Meldon Drive house that the students are working on was purchased for $125,000 by the Mentor School Board and will be sold at auction in May.
“If we break even, that’s a great thing. We would love to make a little profit, but if we break even, we are happy. We just want to keep doing it,”Crowe said. The first year we made a little over $30,000; last year we kind of broke even; and this year we will continue to do it.”
The house is expected to be completed by the end of April,
Madeline Clinton, a student from Mentor, is looking for a career in construction management after graduation. She plans to start off in the electrical field, but would eventually like to own her own business.
Madeline is one of two female students in the class and feels this is a great thing. She said doesn’t know any other place where 16- and 17-year-old kids can gain the same experience working on a house.
“I like just learning everything and then being able to go to my own house and being able to save money and doing the stuff myself,” she said. “It’s all about the learning.”
Jack Weiding, who is also of Mentor and was recently accepted into the construction management program at Bowling Green State University, thinks it’s a great program. He added that it’s great for kids, who are younger and don’t have the knowledge or connections to go out and find a job like this, as a way to get some experience.
“I think its a great project that could help us learn a lot of stuff that could help us in the future,” he said.
“We are helping out the community, the kids who are learning every trade as they are going along,” Stewart said. “We have kids who are going on to college, have kids who are entering the union for electrical, and we have kids who are going to be firefighters and are learning for this a second job. It’s a great opportunity — we help people while the kids are learning.”