Liberty High School kicks off construction of home on school grounds
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Wednesday marks the beginning of construction of a 1,400 sq. ft, three-bedroom, two-bathroom house, built by LHS students, that will become a home for a family in the local community.
Liberty High School (LHS), an Academy District 20 School, and Careers in Construction Colorado (CICC) held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday, April 28th, from 11 – 2 p.m., at Liberty High School to celebrate this kick-off.
The home project is projected to take up to two years to complete and once finished the Home Builders Association will move the house and students will begin building a second home.
“Our goal with the home-build projects and with CICC as a whole is to encourage students to explore the possibilities that a career in construction could hold for them. These students will graduate from high school with firsthand experience on a job site, dealing with the intricacies of trade operations and the many steps to building a home. As a homebuilder, I can tell you, that’s huge!” George Hess, CICC’s Chairman, said.
The CICC program launched at LHS in 2019 and currently holds 34 students. Using the Home Builders Institute’s (HBI) Pre-Apprenticeship Certified Training (PACT) curriculum, students learn basic and more specified construction and trade skills. The curriculum empowers instructors to adjust the pace to fit each student’s unique needs and abilities to master skills.
“I love watching the students grow into their own; watching them get wide-eyed and excited to tackle their next steps with confidence, workplace-ready skillsets, and certifications . . . a great starting point/plan after high school, said, Matt Fackelman, LHS instructor. “This program provides students with an ecosystem to successfully and immediately step into a post-secondary career path.”
LHS student Hailey Baratti, an 11th grader who joined the program at the start of the 2020 school year, said her favorite part about the CICC class is she has the option to focus on the skillsets she wants to grow.
“For example, I’ve been working on learning how to use and assemble a CNC X-carve while others are working on building stairs and shelving units,” Baratti explained. “Even if you aren’t looking to work on a construction site swinging a hammer or pouring concrete, this class could still be for you because that is only a small part of what Building Construction at Liberty High School teaches.”
Liberty High School joins three other Colorado Springs schools that are building homes: Coronado High School, The MiLL (a training center that serves Peyton, Mesa Ridge, and Widefield), and James Irwin Charter’s Power Technical school (PTEC).
