'Options' course provides real-world experience
By KEVIN MCCAHILL
Pioneer Press
November 13, 2006
Through the steady thump of hammers, the skull-piercing buzz of
electric saws and a haze of sawdust, eight Oak Grove High School
students expanded their confidence while putting a roof over a family's
head.
The students are helping to build a five-unit town home in the 600 block of Dale Street in St. Paul with Habitat for Humanity. It's part of a community service course their small school offers to expand the skills of pupils while helping out in the community.
One day each week, students from the Shoreview high school spread out in the community, providing lunches for Meals on Wheels and building homes for those in need.
Dressed only in T-shirts and jeans one recent chilly morning, 18-year-old A.J. Holcomb and 17-year-old Curtis Beckermann were fitting a set of French doors onto a balcony entrance that would overlook the neighborhood. The students were focused. They measured, then re-measured before slowly and carefully repositioning the glass doors.
Both said the program will be useful as they plan their future.
"It helps to get experience," said Holcomb, who plans to attend Century College to learn the construction trade. The same goes for Beckermann, who plans to enter the heating and air conditioning field after graduation.
The students are a part of Oak Grove's Friday "options" course, which is part of the Mounds View School District but accepts students from districts across the metro. They participate in sports programs and community projects as part of the course, said Maria Christensen, who leads the on-site program along with fellow teacher Mindy Nakamoto.
"A lot of kids don't do well in traditional schools," Christensen said. "But here they shine."
There's no motivator like a job well done. And students, many less-than-positive about their life situation, can see the results of their work and they become proud, Christensen said. They are not only building a house, they are building a positive momentum for their lives.
"The kids have been so impressive," Christensen said. "They are really motivated and helpful."
The students work at different sites each week, which gives them a chance to learn different sides of construction, from laying carpet to installing sheet rock. On Dale Street the town houses were already framed and the outer walls already covered, so students recently were working on smaller details like adding trim around the first-floor entryways and installing patio doors.
Habitat for Humanity organizers said they appreciate having students on-site and want to give them useful experiences that often can't be taught in a classroom.
Working alongside Beckermann and Holcomb was Sarah Vickerman. A former Oak Grove student, the 23-year-old is now studying education at Century College. She also is a paraprofessional at the high school that she said helped direct her life.
"I just wanted to give back," she said, taking a short break while hauling lumber around the jobsite. "I wouldn't be where I am without the school."
Kevin McCahill can be reached at
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or 651-265-2496.
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