For students at St. Timothy's High School in Cochrane, Career and Technology Studies (CTS) and Fabrication Studies are more than just parts of the school's curriculum - they're a creative outlet and possible first step towards a career.
For students at St. Timothy's High School in Cochrane, Career and Technology Studies (CTS) and Fabrication Studies are more than just parts of the school's curriculum - they're a creative outlet and possible first step towards a career.
The Grade 7-12 school offers both mandatory and optional carpentry classes (called CTS) and welding classes (called Fabrication Studies) which the students take full advantage of.
“Altogether throughout the year, I put about 300 kids, both junior high and high school, through the shop (in either welding or carpentry), ” said Keith Routhier, the school's teacher running both programs along with his assistant Frank Lombardo, a journeyman cabinet maker.
Routhier is a journeyman carpenter who formerly taught at Portage Collage in Lac La Biche, Alta., before switching to teach junior/senior high school level carpentry and welding.
“I made the switch from teaching at a college to a high school because, honestly, the kids are more fun. ”
Alongside teaching classes during school hours, Routhier also offers “open shop night ” every Tuesday and Thursday evening for students and parents to work on any project of their choosing.
“Kids can come work on extra projects, or their school projects, or if they just want to experiment and try something out - it's about getting them more interested in the trades, ” said Routhier.
“I've never seen an open shop night like this before ever in all of the schools I've worked at, it's pretty amazing, ” said Steven Petingola, the school's principal.
He loves that Routhier is taking this extra step, which is not a school requirement, because it promotes full engagement with the students.
“It's not an intimidating place to be because it's all different kids, with all different abilities, and it's different genders, ” said Petingola.
For Joe Morison, a Grade 10 student at the school who plans to earn his ticket in both carpentry and welding after high school, open shop night was his introduction into taking CTS and Fabrication Studies.
“I just tried it out one day when I was here for open shop night and I've loved it ever since. ”
Mackenzie Eichinger, a Grade 11 student at the school, is thankful the programs are a part of the curriculum as well.
“I'm not really sure if I would have gotten the opportunity to try out welding and carpentry otherwise, which would have been too bad, ” said Eichinger.
“But I'm really glad that the shop is here and that I'm able to take advantage of it. ”
Routhier is currently earning his ticket in welding so he can provide more opportunities for students looking to make welding a career.
“To teach apprenticeships you have to be a journeyman, so that's why when I'm done my welding ticket I'm hoping we can offer apprenticeship classes in welding. ”
“Then kids can take their first year (apprenticing) here, the same as they would be taking at SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) in Calgary. ”
For two Grade 11 boys, Reece Hardy and Jaxon Fraser, Fabrication Studies, or welding, has become what they most look forward to in their day.
“We were pretty rowdy before we took Fabrication Studies - I was in the principal's office probably once a month, ” said Fraser.
“Now I don't think I've been down there for anything bad in the past year and a half. ”
The two former “partners in crime ” are thankful they found their passion for welding within the school's shop.
“If there wasn't a shop in the school I'd probably have my own name tag sitting on the principal's desk that's how frequently I used to be here, ” said Hardy.
Routhier found the two to be “challenging ” before they took Fabrication Studies and now he says they're “role models in the class. ”
“It keeps you out of trouble - Mr. Routhier keeps us in line by always giving us new projects, ” said Fraser.
“Once we don't have anything to do we kind of just go wild. ”
The two do community service volunteer work as well as work on their own personal projects during their free time.
According to Petingola, the boys were just recently asked to “help with some metal planters ” for the Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre just outside of Cochrane.
Hardy and Fraser have made Fabrication Studies a “competition ” because they see “who can get the better mark ” and push each other to “improve. ”
Routhier says local businesses have been extremely supportive of the two programs, donating supplies and money for the school to use.
“I'd really like to thank all the businesses that have helped us out - Matt Seewalt with Rippy's Roofing & Construction Inc., Cochrane Welding and Safety Supplies, Home Hardware, Hunterwood Technologies Ltd, Plains Fabrication and Supply, Totem Charitable Foundation, the Canadian Welding Association Foundation, etc. ”
His overall goal is to get more kids interested in pursuing trades as a career.
“There's still this pervasive mentality that university programs are better than trades programs, which is so false, ” said Routhier.
“A carpenter has to know everything about the building process. ”
He says as well as being skilled at carpentry, to be successful in the trade you have to be knowledgeable about “HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning), framing, concrete, steel, and electrical. ” Not to mention those in the trade have to be skilled in “management ” and have excellent “people skills. ”
Petingola fully supports this initiative put forward by Routhier.
“What we're trying to do is to encourage kids to explore the gifts they have, ” said Petingola.
“It's taking some of the emphasis off of the idea that you need to be solely academic. ”
Both Routhier and Petingola are pleased with the results they are seeing when it comes to student engagement in the classes.
“I'm just proud of what happens because at the end of the day, if we keep kids in school by capitalizing on what they're interested in and what they're good at, they're going to stay with us to the end and graduate high school. ”
