Two new homes in Cochrane were built with the help of high school students from Cochrane and Springbank.
The 27 students from Cochrane High School, Bow Valley High School and Springbank High School built two houses in partnership with Kingsmith Homes, the Professional Home Builders Institute of Alberta, and the Alberta New Home Warranty Program as part of Rocky View School’s Building Futures program.
The course, which is entering its fourth year, provides hands-on learning by bringing students out of the classroom to work four out of five days each week on a construction site building a house.
Next week, community members will have the opportunity to see the student’s workmanship during an open house May 25.
“It’s rewarding to see that growth in the students – they are learning things they don’t learn in the traditional classroom,” said Matt Chomistek, Building Futures teacher.
In the last four years, the program has seen recognition from the community and nationally, receiving awards from the Canadian Education Association’s (CEA) 2014 Ken Spencer Award for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, and the Cochrane Community Awards for Education Initiative of the Year.
“It’s been a great process to see (the students) do stuff that is beyond just the building of a home – they are out in the community and students in the program learn how to become good neighbours,” Chomistek said.
“It’s a tremendous, unique learning opportunity.”
Residents are invited to check out the students work on May 25 with the celebration going from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the corner of Willow Gate and River Heights Drive.
