For a group of area high school students, their class room has really taken shape over the last four months; in fact, they have had a major hand in its construction.

Since September, fourteen students from Rothwell Osnabruck and Tagwi high schools have been involved in the building of a house in Rosedale Terrace as part of their curriculum.

This was a project that Jamie Poulin, construction teacher at Tagwi, had been trying to get off the ground for over a decade, not surprisingly with all the variables involved. When another teacher at Tagwi, David Meldrum, offered the building of his future home for the project, all that was needed was the go ahead.

It was thanks to Chad Brownlee and Trish Brown, former and current principals at Tagwi who gave the project the green light, that this was made possible, says Poulin. Credit for their contribution, he says, should also go to Susan Rutters, principal at R.O and Peter Onstein, vice principal at Tagwi.

Student participants were chosen through a selection process from those who were interested in construction as a possible career choice. In preparation for the start of construction, they then were trained and certified installers of insulated concrete forms for Nudura.

With his supervision, and the help of co-op teacher at R.O, Marc Mainville, the students have built the entire house from the “footings all the way up,” says Poulin, who would also like to thank all the contractors on the job for their invaluable mentorship. They went above and beyond what they were hired for, he explains. It’s through this community partnership that this experience was a success. They include: Earl Leger, Plumbing and Heating; Alain Poulin, Green Valley Glass; Jamie Pecore, Pecore Electric; Brent Findlay, Innovative Building Products; Robert Houde, Houde Sheet Metal; Grant Ready Mix; DL MacDonald; Frosty’s Heating; Churchill Kitchens; Paul Sauvé, Concrete Flooring; Meldrum Surveying; Kodiak Concrete, Kevin Whitford, drywall; Emard Lumber; Noble Trade; and Guillevin International Co, Electrical.

The next such project will begin in September, with a new house for Sean and Brenda Lee, who are placing the construction of their new home on Avonmore Road in the capable hands of the student builders.