ABERDEEN, S.D. – In the Building Trades program at Aberdeen Central’s ATEC Academy, students gain hands-on experience—and it benefits the entire community.
ATEC Building Trades classes have built several cabins for the Wylie Park Campground.
“It’s a win-win,” said Wylie Park Manager Mark Grote. “These kids get an education out of it, and the city gets a cabin.”
Grote said the city pays for the material, and the students put it together under the supervision of ATEC Teacher Lee Sumner.
So far, students have built five medium-size cabins, three small cabins and one deluxe cabin, he said, and they’re working on two more small cabins.
“These are skills they’ll carry with them for the rest of their lives,” Grote said.
Those life skills are an important part of all career and technical education courses at Central’s ATEC Academy, which offers 16 career clusters, including Building Trades.
Students can first take an Intro to Building Trades class, Sumner said, where they learn to do some wiring, solder copper, and build some small items.
Then, they can take Residential Construction, which gets into more in-depth construction projects—including the Wylie Park cabins.
Sumner said many of his students take the classes because they know a lot about it from, for example, having parents who work in construction. But a lot of his students take the classes because they’re more hands-on than other classes.
CHS student Jackson Ehnes enjoys the hands-on aspects of Building Trades classes.
“I like working with my hands, and I like building stuff,” said Ehnes, a senior.
The classes have helped with his current job, working for Mega Construction. And while he doesn’t plan to pursue it as a career, it will help him in the future.
“I’m not going to go into something like it,” Ehnes said, “but it’s a skill to have if I need to do something at home.”
About the Aberdeen Public School District
The Aberdeen Public School District provides a comprehensive educational program to approximately 4,200 students in grades K-12, with a mission of empowering all students to succeed in a changing world. Our students receive the knowledge and skills necessary to reach their potential in a global community through high expectations of academic achievement; diverse educational opportunities; and community involvement in a safe, supportive environment. Learn more at aberdeen.k12.sd.us.