~CONTENT POWERED BY CAPACITY TO CARE~
(FROM SHERIDAN COLLEGE REPORTS)
Students in Sheridan College’s construction technology program have learned and practiced the art of carpentry and homebuilding for 10 years now.
This year’s group of students spent the fall semester building a home on Poplar Trail with Habitat for Humanity. The students will resume work when the spring semester begins Wednesday, Jan. 21.
“This is our sixth or seventh year with Habitat for Humanity,” said SC faculty Josh Michelena. “It’s a great partnership. They take care of us. We bring some labor and tools. Some of our students have a background in construction and really get to practice their skills. Some students who are newer to the field get the opportunity to learn and enhance their skills.
“Our students are able to help build about two houses each year.”
As part of the Construction Technology course, students participate in a lab component, which includes working extensively on the construction site. The current project is a five-bedroom home that will be completed this spring.
“It’s coming along really nicely,” said first-year student Courtney Brown, of Cheyenne. “We started at the beginning of the fall semester. When we started, the concrete pad was already poured. We polished it down and constructed the walls.”
Sheridan College construction technology students Hayden Durch, left, and Reno Skinner prepare an opening to accent a new window on Poplar Trail in December. SC students partner with Habitat for Humanity to build homes each year. (Photo by Dennis Jacobs)
In December, the students installed windows. Michelena, in his 10th year with Sheridan College’s construction technology program, guides students through the construction process, from start to finish.
“Students in the program learn a variety of carpentry skills, from rough carpentry to finish carpentry —the framing, the siding and the roofing, cabinet installation, drywall installation, putting in insulation; we also trim out the windows and doors,” Michelena said. “We try to hit on all the aspects of carpentry.
“They get quite a bit of hands-on experience. Otherwise, we would be running our own projects and doing more stuff in the shop, building smaller projects. This lets them practice their skills.”
Sheridan College students can earn both a certificate and Associate of Applied Science in construction technology. Michelena said students particularly enjoy working with homeowners during the construction phase.
“I love the program. I’m having a ball,” Brown said. “I like the hands-on experience.”
For more information about the construction technology program at Sheridan College, contact Josh Michelena at (307) 674-6446, ext. 3516.
