Parkland County students building duplex in immersive learning program

Students in Parkland County are splitting time between the classroom and a construction site.

Grade 10 students from the area are building a duplex from the ground up. It’s part of a partnership between Parkland School Division and Coventry Homes, where kids are able to earn credits toward their diploma through the project.

“When they got here, it was an empty lot. Just dirt,” said Building Futures lead teacher Mike Holton. “They got involved in excavation, surveying and concrete. They’ll take it all the way to the finished stage. They should be done in June.”

1:59 2 groups back residents fighting Habitat for Humanity in Edmonton

Students start in the classroom, learning core classes, and then build the home alongside tradespeople.

“We transfer the classroom skills exactly. We spent a week doing measurement and Pythagorean theorem in class,” Holton said. “Then, the construction lead told the students they had to know their measurement conversion and Pythagorean theorem. The kids thought I had talked to him beforehand! It authenticated what we were doing in the classroom.”

Holton brings a group of kids down to the site in the morning, and teaches math and construction theory to students in the afternoon.

“They are also going to get involved in the sale and the design side,” Holton explained.

Tierra Smith said she signed up for the one-year program, because she’s a “hands-on learner”.

“I thought getting my hands a bit dirty would be fun… plus it’s a new experience,” Smith said. “It’s been fun. The tradespeople are always helping us. We have our little group and we can get a lot done.”

Ben Hopkins said he knew “literally nothing” about building a house before this project. Now, he feels confident on site.

“You don’t know how much it takes to do something until you do it yourself,” said Hopkins. “That’s the biggest thing I’ve learned so far.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "You don't know how much it takes to do something until you do it yourself," said Hopkins. "That's the biggest thing I've learned so far."

Scott Pinder, site superintendent with Coventry Homes, said it’s been rewarding to work with the students.

Pinder said even if these students don’t head into the trades after the program, they’ll leave with an important skill-set.

The students are expected to complete the duplex in June. The next session of the program will take applications in the spring.