When sophomore students from Delaware County schools visited the Delaware Area Career Center earlier this month they learned about the construction program hands on by building dog houses and houses for stray cats.
Construction Program instruction Gene Scott said his students, juniors and seniors started building dog houses last year for local dog shelters based on a blueprint they found online.
Scott said it was a simple project that helps the visiting sophomores get hands on with construction and gives his students a chance to be the instructor. Scott said the construction students show sophomores from visiting high schools how to cut wood pieces to the right size, how to put the pieces of the house together and how and where to use the nail gun.
Scott said the students made 16 stray cat houses that will be placed around the county to give the strays a place for winter and 6 dog houses that will be donated to the Delaware County Dog Warden.
“It’s a great teaching moment,” said assistant Delaware County Dog Warden John King. “People in the community need dog houses.”
King said that cosmetology students at the career center collect canned dog food for the dog warden and culinary arts students created treats for dogs.
The construction students said they enjoyed the role reversal of becoming the teacher.
“It’s nice to work with the kids,” said Zane McManus, senior in the construction program.
For other students it’s more about sharing an interest.
“I enjoyed teaching the students about what I like to do,” said Drew Sturgell, a senior at Westerville North. “I like working with my hands. I wanted to show them craftsmanship and what it looks like to do a good job.”
Sturgell and his fellow construction student supervised a group of student from Buckeye Valley on Nov. 22 and made sure they were using the nail-gun and table saw properly.
“It’s a good idea to teach these kids what we know because it shows we know how to do it safely,” said Buckeye Valley senior Damien Osornio.