Actively working with their hands is the way some people learn best, and that is certainly the case for the students in Jack Schumaker’s Construction Technology class. Cutting clean lines, laying shingles, or working on masonry projects is more than manual labor, the students are using math and developing work ethics to acquire skills that may craft their futures. They are also giving back to their community.
Earlier this week, the class spent some mornings finishing a bridge at Gorman Nature Center. It was the fourth bridge they built at the center, which is a part of the Richland County Park system. The bus dropped the students, juniors and seniors, off at the center on Wednesday and they immediately began loading tools, wood, and a generator onto the park’s Gator to transport them to their work site. Once the majority of the crew had walked to the site, they immediately organized the materials and set to work under Schumaker’s direction.
“It had gotten to the point, with all of the bridges that had been built over the years, that they were wearing out,” said Jason Larson, who joined the Richland County Park Department as director in August 2013. “And we had a small budget with the county so we were trying to do the best we could with what we had.”
“A lot of the bridges you see them putting in have foundations, as opposed to the old bridges which were basically just laid across. Last summer when we had the 50-year flood and heavy rain, the water just tore down through that ravine and basically tore the bridges away or tilted them or just caused a lot of damage,” he added.
Larson spoke to the Richland County Foundation about the possibility of matching grants in the future, but in the meantime, funding was approved from the parks department toward the project and Schumaker offered the services of the Construction Tech class. The class does all of the design and labor for the projects and the nature center provides the materials. An average 30 foot bridge, Larson said, costs approximately $1,500 includes solid oak for longevity. He said from speaking with contractors, that without the class designing and building the bridges, the same bridge would cost between $5,000 to $6,000.
Schumaker has been teaching for 19 years, 11 of those at Mansfield Senior High School. He was quick to point out that the class does a number of community service projects including Habitat for Humanity, For the Richland County Park District they look forward to building a gazebo, completing more bridges at the nature center, and remodeling some existing structures.
“In the class we do carpentry, plumbing, masonry and electrical,” stated Schumaker. The course is one of at least a dozen Career Tech classes at Mansfield Senior High School. “This is a unique project, building these bridges; it gets away from the house building we usually do. It lets them experience some new things.”
“In construction class, we’re actually preparing these kids to get a job in the construction industry—being a carpenter, a mason, plumber, electrician, and we also have articulation agreements with colleges so they can go on and get a two-year degree in construction management, if that’s what they want to do,” explained Schumaker. His class size ranges every year from 18-24 students and the students usually enter the program as juniors.
Schumaker explained that when the new Mansfield Senior High School was built, creating a career technologies program was something the community requested. “They voted extra money for the program. That says something for the community that they wanted the students to have skills that they could use to get work and to give back to the community,” he said.
And at least a few of the students do plan to pursue careers in construction fields.
“I picked the class because I like to be hands on with things. I plan on going into the Air Force and then start my own construction company with Rondre,” said junior Jordan Easter, nodding to his friend standing nearby.
“I never would have thought we’d do different things like reshingle roofs. We came out of this with skills we didn’t have, like how to mearsure,” he added, noting that reshingling roofs has been one of his favorite tasks. He explained that they worked on four cabins at the Light and Life Camp working in snow and rain and building scaffolding to get to the roofs.
“We’ve been best friends since like seventh grade,” said Rondre Brooks, “I came from a Marine family,” he continued, explaining why he was going into the Marine while Easter was going into the Air Force. “We’ll meet up after. We’re basically family. I’m going into business management.”
In their spare time, the two friends design comic books. Easter does the drawing and Brooks “comes up with the ideas.”
Logan Middlton said he took the class because he and his father always liked to work with their hands. “My brother loved to do electrical work. My dad had bought some houses to rent and I didn’t know I liked carpentry until I started helping him put up walls and laying flooring. I’ve also wanted to take carpentry for college and get my associates degree. I want to be the first person in my family to have a college degree.”
Larson stated that there are a number of other projects he looks forward to coordinating with the Construction Tech class next year.
“We’re actually preparing these kids to get a job in the construction industry—being a carpenter, a mason, plumber, electrician, and we also have articulation agreements with colleges so they can go on and get a two-year degree in construction management,” said Jack Schumaker.
