LM Oct 2019

sure students fill out legal consent forms and that the work is done by upperclassmen who have taken some vocational classes in their freshmen and sophomore years, so they understand safety issues and the basics of how to use power tools and other skills needed on the job site. While students are doing much of the work, some of it had to be left to professionals. A contractor poured the concrete foundation and installed the roof and exterior walls, although students chipped in when possible, like putting up the building façade, Fetcho said. The interior work is where students have been busiest, framing all the walls and doors. Pretty soon, the students will hang drywall and doors, as well as install the trim and paint the walls. An electrician will wire the building, but the students will help with the process too, Fetcho said. “The students have been involved from the ground up,” he said. Even more exciting for Hamilton County CUSD #10 is the doors the project is opening up. Fetcho said the district has already had preliminary talks with city officials about students building homes in the community where dilapidated buildings now stand. It sounds like Hamson and his students will be on board.

provide them with the training needed to pursue a career in the trades. “We’re a small community, and we need people who have the skills to work in the trades here,” said Jeff Fetcho, who’s in his eighth year as superintendent. “This project is providing them with a multitude of opportunities that you just can’t simulate in a classroom.” However, none of that would matter if Hamilton County CUSD #10 didn’t have the right teacher to manage 13 students on a construction site. Two years ago, the district hired Josh Hamson as its vocational arts teacher. Hamson turned to teaching after 12 years of running his own construction company and 18 years total in the building trades. Having an opportunity like this to train young men and women for a career in the building trades is why he left his business, Hamson said. “This is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,” he said. “You can see firsthand how much the students are learning and how much they are enjoying this.” Before breaking ground on the project, the district had to figure out the logistics and determine how much of the work could be done by students. The master schedule was changed and Hamson’s class was double blocked and double credited, so students could spend

about 90 minutes each morning at the job site. The district elected for a metal-framed building because of the cost. Fetcho also recommends to superintendents interested in following suit to make

“This is definitely my favorite class,” said Noah Colclasure, a senior. “I have loved doing this, and I now am definitely interested in a job in the trades.”

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LM October 2019