Centennial High School joins ICC's High School Technical Training Program. Mike Palumbo is the construction teacher who has brought real world experiences to his high school students by teaching them about the construction field starting with the basics of what the tools of trade are to using them to build a house. Mike participated in the High School Technical Training Program workshop the Building Futures put together for schools in the state, and has signed up to incorporated this program into his existing curriculum. He recognized the advantage his students would gain from incorporating building codes into his program. **see local news article below
Building houses
SOME CENTENNIAL High School students have been learning some valuable lessons, and not in a classroom.
Over the past nine years, under the guidance of Centennial construction teacher Mike Palumbo, students have built six homes on the West Side through a partnership with Habitat for Humanity.
As featured in The Chieftain this past weekend, Palumbo — who also is a construction supervisor for Habitat for Humanity — and his students have been working this spring on a 1,300-squarefoot, three-bedroom house for the project.
Some of the students have been in the program since they were freshmen.
Wearing T-shirts saying, “We build with Class,” the students moved freely around the home, putting on some of the final touches.
Jason Pineda, a 17-year-old senior at Centennial, said: “It makes me feel like I accomplished something. And you can actually see it. But at the same time, it shows that I actually helped somebody else in doing it.”
Pineda, a foreman for the project, said it gives him a sense of pride knowing that the house will be standing well into the future.
“I can drive by this block and know that I helped build this house,” he said.
As you might imagine, the students working to build houses enjoy this coursework as much as any other classes, and often it’s their favorite work while in high school.
David Shipley, 17, has been in Palumbo’s Construction 1 class since last year.
“It’s pretty great. We are helping the community; we are building up a house,” he said. “It’s going to be a good way to help.
“I’ve learned framing, drywall, electricity, cabinets, almost everything for building a house.”
The work also has inspired the students. Shipley and Pineda said they both want to enter the construction industry in the future.
“I am not sure what I want to do yet, but right now I just love being able to use my brain to make something physically that you can touch,” Shipley said.
We think this approach to education — students using their hands and their brains — has real merit.
We have encouraged both local school districts for years to install significant programming along these lines. Mechanics, heating and air-conditioning installers and technicians, plumbers, electricians, construction workers — they all make good money and they are honorable professions.
College is not a good fit for everyone, and we believe the schools need to continue to look for opportunities such as partnering with Habitat for Humanity to give non-college bound students career options.
The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics programs that have been instituted at several local schools are promising; more such programs are needed.
We encourage the district to give serious consideration to expanding offerings along the lines of the Centennial Construction 1 class. A drive through the West Side shows that the class has been a success.
Westminster High School sent 3 teams to compete in the Architectural Design category for the 2018 Colorado Technology Student Association (COTSA). The teams had to build a "tiny House" using shipping containers for the structure. They had to be functional, code compliant, and meet LEED design and building standards. Out of the 37 teams who competed all 3 Westminster High School teams made it in the top 6. One of the teams won 2nd place, and will be competing in Atlanta, Georgia for the National competition. Jessie Sorensen, plans examiner from the City of Westminster, and Jim Beaver, building inspector from the City of Lone Tree and a member of the Building Futures Committee, assisted with this competition and the Westminster High School teams. The Building Futures committee congratulates these students, and wish them luck at the National competition. *** see the full article from the City of Westminster.
