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Students review work before finishing up ACE building
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · February 22, 2018
West Branch High School’s multi-purpose building will host an open house March 5 to show the work of the Kirkwood Community College program that mixed contractors and students together.
The Architect, Construction, Engineer (ACE) Mentoring program involves the school district hiring licensed contractors to do structural, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work, but then bringing in students to much of the rest, all overseen by volunteer contractors.
Both Durant and West Branch high school students helped with the 70-by-130 facility that includes storage, restrooms, a meeting room and a large space with a an Astroturf surface for a variety of indoor practices, from marching band to baseball.
Some 30 West Branch students — 29 boys and one girl — gathered Feb. 16 for a picture showing many of them wearing hard hats and carrying hand tools. The short break allowed them to take a look around at what they helped build before diving back in to finish up prior to the open house.
After the photo, they prepared the concrete for flooring by sweeping, scraping and going over the floor with a riding scrubber. Woodruff Construction oversaw the ACE program on site and Superintendent Greg Fowler taught the students how to operate the floor scrubber.
Industrial tech instructor Randy Robertson said the students helped construct interior walls, doors, framing between steel beams, stud bracing and installing purlin.
Between then and the 5 p.m. March 5 open house, the students will paint frames and striping for decoration, seal the concrete, install mats along the east wall and more.
The building includes three batting cages that can lift up and out of the way.
Robertson said seeing students learn this level of hands-on work “has been exciting.”
Sophomore Kaleb Sexton showed he helped install plywood prior to masons adding brick to the exterior.
Sexton said his experience with the class encourages him to consider a career in construction.
Robertson prepared information for eighth-grade orientation for the ACE courses. There are three classes: Intro to ACE, Intro to Construction Technology and Intro to Material Processing.
“This is an exciting time for our ACE mentor program,” he wrote. “Students get involved in working with professional contractors, project managers and myself on a project that is at a large scale.”
The students take field trips to learn skilled career trades, compete in state-level contests and listen to guest speakers.
“We are in a critical time in finding skilled trade workers,” Robertson wrote. “We are very short in all skilled areas with high demand. (Students) have a great opportunity to get a great job and make very good money with benefits.”
Getting involved
West Branch Community Schools plans to host an open house for the new multi-purpose building at West Branch High School 5 p.m. March 5.
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