WCHS Building Trades Class Hosts Open House May 25
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
The Warsaw Building Trades Open House is May 25 from 4 to 6 p.m.
Monday night, the Warsaw School Board heard a presentation about the building trades program and its 24-year history. The house this year is in Summerfield Estates, 1370 S. Sandal Court, Warsaw, and is the home of Ron and Tammy Neiswonger.
Tom Heiman has been the program instructor for the past 20 years, taking over building trades in 1986. When he started as instructor, the students built houses valued at $65,000-$85,000. Now the houses run more than $300,000.
"We try to make it as realistic as a construction site as possible," said Heiman.
The program, which includes students from other area high schools such as Whitko, builds one house per year. Currently, there is a 45-year waiting list. The class is a two-year training program so the students can go into the work force or post-training.
There is a morning and afternoon class, each only four hours long. To be in the program, a student must be a junior or senior. Recommendations from students and teachers are used.
The foundation of the house is completed when the students arrive on the first day.
"Every student participates. Every student has their strength, so we try to find it," Heiman said.
The program keeps track of students for five years after they leave the program. A portfolio also is kept for each student so they can take the portfolio to a future employer. Students also gain a sense of pride and a sense of accomplishment, Heiman said. The students also develop bonds between each other and with Heiman. "We promote life-long skills."
The Building Trades program has joined with Ivy Tech, which provides students 12 credit hours.
Heiman said his goal for the program the past 20 years is to make it a positive and safe environment.
Student Greg Staddon said that through the program, he's learned many facets of the trade he otherwise would not have. Last summer, he got a job because of his experience.
"It's a really great program," Staddon said.
Tammy Neiswonger worked in the WCHS vocational office for 17 years and the building trades program always was one of her favorites. She knew she wanted to have a home built by the building trades while Heiman was still the director.
"It's just been a fantastic year, it's been kind of a whirlwind," Tammy said.
People have asked her if she trusts students to build her house. "Absolutely," she said.
In other business, the school board:
• Approved a correction on the quit-claim deeds for Atwood and Silver Lake elementary school property given to Lake and Prairie townships.
• Adopted miscellaneous textbooks. The cost of the books is $305,698.01, compared to six years ago when the adoption of the miscellaneous textbooks cost $395,807.
• Approved the summer school courses and staff. Due to a lack of interest, some courses offered on the summer school flyer sent out with high school students will not be offered.
• Approved the purchase of six buses for $430,260 as recommended by Transportation Director Della Swain.
• Requested more information about the All Write!!! consortium by-laws. The board wanted more information about the consortium's governing body and membership. There are 16 northern Indiana school corporations involved in the consortium, which promotes the growth of teachers as "teachers of writing" through the use of writing workshops. Fees are based on student numbers and Warsaw Schools' fee is $6,000.
• Approved the annual residential student placement resolution. The resolution allows the superintendent and the director of special services to enter a financial contract on the school corporation's behalf if an individual student needs special services.
• Approved for the advertisement for equipment for the WCHS project.
• Approved the resignation of Kathee Reed as a Washington Elementary School first-grade teacher; resignation of Tafra Krevinghaus as a Leesburg Elementary fourth-grade teacher; resignation of Christine Bonifield as a Leesburg sixth-grade teacher; resignation of Larry Erwin as a Lakeview Middle School industrial technology teacher; and resignation of Chad Hoffert as the Warsaw Community High School freshman men's basketball coach.
• Approved increasing Wendy Long's contract by 15 days to 220 days at a cost of about $4,800. Long is the Warsaw Community Schools English as a Second Language program director and the program is growing.
• Approved eight change orders for the WCHS construction project at no cost to the school corporation.
• Approved Marc Andrews as a fourth-grade teacher at Leesburg and Kelly Meeks as a Leesburg sixth-grade teacher.
• Heard there are 6,805 students in Warsaw Schools this May, compared to 6,580 last year.
• Held the first reading of changes to student/parent handbooks for Warsaw elementary, middle and high schools. [[In-content Ad]]
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The Warsaw Building Trades Open House is May 25 from 4 to 6 p.m.
Monday night, the Warsaw School Board heard a presentation about the building trades program and its 24-year history. The house this year is in Summerfield Estates, 1370 S. Sandal Court, Warsaw, and is the home of Ron and Tammy Neiswonger.
Tom Heiman has been the program instructor for the past 20 years, taking over building trades in 1986. When he started as instructor, the students built houses valued at $65,000-$85,000. Now the houses run more than $300,000.
"We try to make it as realistic as a construction site as possible," said Heiman.
The program, which includes students from other area high schools such as Whitko, builds one house per year. Currently, there is a 45-year waiting list. The class is a two-year training program so the students can go into the work force or post-training.
There is a morning and afternoon class, each only four hours long. To be in the program, a student must be a junior or senior. Recommendations from students and teachers are used.
The foundation of the house is completed when the students arrive on the first day.
"Every student participates. Every student has their strength, so we try to find it," Heiman said.
The program keeps track of students for five years after they leave the program. A portfolio also is kept for each student so they can take the portfolio to a future employer. Students also gain a sense of pride and a sense of accomplishment, Heiman said. The students also develop bonds between each other and with Heiman. "We promote life-long skills."
The Building Trades program has joined with Ivy Tech, which provides students 12 credit hours.
Heiman said his goal for the program the past 20 years is to make it a positive and safe environment.
Student Greg Staddon said that through the program, he's learned many facets of the trade he otherwise would not have. Last summer, he got a job because of his experience.
"It's a really great program," Staddon said.
Tammy Neiswonger worked in the WCHS vocational office for 17 years and the building trades program always was one of her favorites. She knew she wanted to have a home built by the building trades while Heiman was still the director.
"It's just been a fantastic year, it's been kind of a whirlwind," Tammy said.
People have asked her if she trusts students to build her house. "Absolutely," she said.
In other business, the school board:
• Approved a correction on the quit-claim deeds for Atwood and Silver Lake elementary school property given to Lake and Prairie townships.
• Adopted miscellaneous textbooks. The cost of the books is $305,698.01, compared to six years ago when the adoption of the miscellaneous textbooks cost $395,807.
• Approved the summer school courses and staff. Due to a lack of interest, some courses offered on the summer school flyer sent out with high school students will not be offered.
• Approved the purchase of six buses for $430,260 as recommended by Transportation Director Della Swain.
• Requested more information about the All Write!!! consortium by-laws. The board wanted more information about the consortium's governing body and membership. There are 16 northern Indiana school corporations involved in the consortium, which promotes the growth of teachers as "teachers of writing" through the use of writing workshops. Fees are based on student numbers and Warsaw Schools' fee is $6,000.
• Approved the annual residential student placement resolution. The resolution allows the superintendent and the director of special services to enter a financial contract on the school corporation's behalf if an individual student needs special services.
• Approved for the advertisement for equipment for the WCHS project.
• Approved the resignation of Kathee Reed as a Washington Elementary School first-grade teacher; resignation of Tafra Krevinghaus as a Leesburg Elementary fourth-grade teacher; resignation of Christine Bonifield as a Leesburg sixth-grade teacher; resignation of Larry Erwin as a Lakeview Middle School industrial technology teacher; and resignation of Chad Hoffert as the Warsaw Community High School freshman men's basketball coach.
• Approved increasing Wendy Long's contract by 15 days to 220 days at a cost of about $4,800. Long is the Warsaw Community Schools English as a Second Language program director and the program is growing.
• Approved eight change orders for the WCHS construction project at no cost to the school corporation.
• Approved Marc Andrews as a fourth-grade teacher at Leesburg and Kelly Meeks as a Leesburg sixth-grade teacher.
• Heard there are 6,805 students in Warsaw Schools this May, compared to 6,580 last year.
• Held the first reading of changes to student/parent handbooks for Warsaw elementary, middle and high schools. [[In-content Ad]]