The Voice

Issue date: 3/26/07 Section: Inside WCC

Media Credit: Photo courtesy of Victoria Bennett High school students work on a drafting and construction competition at the Neutral Zone.

When WCC received a $21,000 grant from the Department of Labor to promote careers in construction and drafting, they decided to get the upcoming generation involved. The grant was used in part to fund a hands-on architectural project for students from four high schools from Ann Arbor and the surrounding area. The high school students drafted and built sheds, which will be donated to organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Project Grow.

"The sheds were just a by-product," said Victoria Bennett, the project manager for the Career Clusters Grant. "Our goal was to give students a good experience."

WCC paid for all of the students' material with the grant, including lumber and other building supplies, food, and t-shirts for each team. Bennett said that a large part of the money went to making sure that students could get to the competition, by providing cash to pay substitute teachers and buses.

The sheds' design was drafted beforehand, with the most buildable design award going to Nathan Gardner and Justin Haight of Hartland High School. The design was reviewed by an architect, who made sure that the sheds would be structurally sound. Architects were also on hand to talk to the high schoolers before they began building.

The students congregated at the Neutral Zone on March 7 to build the sheds, where Tim Bradburn from Fingerle Lumber and other judges were awaiting their arrival. Bradburn coordinated the delivery of the materials, as well as judging the structures once the competition was finished.

"It was crazy as far as the kids' abilities," said Bradburn. "It just blew my mind…they could build a house today with no problem."

Students had four hours to build the sheds, which was not enough time to complete them. The partially finished sheds will remain at Fingerle until they are finished.

"I think we are ready and willing to do this next year," said Bradburn about Fingerle's possible future involvement. "It gets us in the kids' minds."

Bennett mentioned that one possible side effect of the competition would be to get students interested in drafting and construction programs at WCC. Other funds from the grant have already gone to "help foster interest in the architecture and construction fields," according to a WCC press release. This has included tours and presentations for high school students, as well as "hands-on experiences with AutoCAD and surveying equipment."

Although Bradburn was enthusiastic about the high schoolers' skill level, "it might just get them out of the state," where they will have a better chance of getting a job.
"I wouldn't recommend just having a high school diploma, though," said Brad burn. "Go to school, get the degree, and then get the construction job."

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