Students can absorb information in a number of ways, including textbooks, computer research, classroom instruction and hands-on learning.
Caroline High School Building Trades teacher Archie L. Roberts and his 47 students put all of these methods to good use.
Roberts and a number of his third-year students recently demonstrated their mastery of carpentry, masonry and electrical skills by constructing a handsome 12-by-16 foot storage building at the new Caroline County YMCA in Ladysmith.
The project started at the school where students followed an architect’s plans and prefabricated the wall units. Then they shifted over to the job site where they built the storage facility.
The two-week project, which was completed just before the school’s spring break, put to use many of the skills they learned in the classroom, said Roberts, who is an experienced builder and has taught the courses at CHS for the past five years.
In their first year, the Building Trades students learn how to use tools safely and qualify for OSHA certification. The second year covers additional certifications, carpentry skills and site work. In the third year, they master additional site work and take lessons at the electrical institute in Richmond.
In recent multi-county competition, Roberts’ students placed second in both electrical and carpentry skills.
Though simple in outward appearance, the Y storage shed employs almost all of the disciplines necessary to build a home or small office building.
Roberts’ students also built a storage building at Bowling Green Elementary and helped with the Caroline County Museum and the new war memorial.
These projects put skills the students acquired into a tangible form and contribute to the community in which they live.
The project at the Y was a win-win situation for everyone involved. Everything on the storage building was built to code, and the only cost to the Y was the materials it took to do the job.
The Building Trades curriculum prepares students for entry in the workplace or paves the way for continuing education.
“Ninety percent of the kids get jobs with county governments or construction companies, or they are accepted in trade schools or colleges,” Roberts said.
Despite an emphasis on practical know-how, Roberts also stresses the necessity of academic subjects to his students. Math and computer skills are required for success in the building trades, and good English and communication skills are necessary when dealing with customers.
“That’s a hurdle I had to cross when I got here,” Roberts added.
“One of the most valuable purchases you will make in life is a home. If that home was built by idiots, you are not going to be happy with it,” Roberts noted.
Roberts is anything but easy on his students.
“I know what it is like today and what they need to get work. Most teenagers are not into attention to detail. I am real picky. I nitpick them to death,” Roberts said.
Two shining examples of the program are third-year students Devanti Garner and Brandon Brooks, who are president and vice president of the local building skills team.
After graduation in June, Garner plans to move on to J. Sargent Reynolds Community College for two years and then on to Virginia Commonwealth University. He wants to major in computer engineering.
“When I first started, it was just a class. Then I got into it and really liked it,” Garner said.
Brooks intends to enroll in an intensive six-year electrician apprenticeship program.
“I started doing electrical work and I really liked it,” Brooks said.
“I try to instill in them pride in what they do,” Roberts said.
“I tell them Jesus started out as a carpenter,” he added.
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