WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — In a recent report, On Tuesday, a very worthy family in the West Palm Beach area will be receiving a brand-new house as a gift from some very special construction workers in the apprenticeship program.
“It means a lot to know that we were able to provide people chances, that we’re doing it for a good reason, and that by doing it, we’re helping everyone out. Knowing all of these things brings a lot of satisfaction. According to Gavin Koleser, a senior at Seminole Ridge High School, “It feels real (great).”
Students from Seminole Ridge High School have spent the whole school year working on a pre-built house as part of the Weitz Construction Academy offered by the School District of Palm Beach County.
The Construction Academy is in charge of the construction process after receiving the supplies from Habitat for Humanity, which are donated to the school.
Since the beginning of the academic year, the 170 students who are enrolled in this program have been responsible for constructing every aspect of the building, from the foundation to the roofing, as well as the plumbing, electricity, drywall, and painting.
Tuesday is the day when both the kids and the teachers get to see the fruits of all of their labor over the school year.
“It feels really good knowing that as a team through all of our classmates and our instructors, we were able to do this successfully,” Koleser said. “Seeing this finally being built in person,” he added, “feels good knowing that we were able to do this.”
“Number one, they learn to give back because they’re building a house for a family that deserves the house,” she said. “Number two, they learn to work together.”
David Porter, Project Manager and Co-Founder of the Weitz Building Academy remarked that the second benefit is that students have the opportunity to study all elements of the building.
When students put what they learn at the Academy to work and go on to have successful careers in the construction industry after graduation, it gives Porter a lot of satisfaction to be a teacher there.
“The program is well known among our contractors, who are located everywhere from Jacksonville to the Keys.
According to Porter, the kids will be contacted in March to participate in the interview process. “There is an extremely severe labor shortage in the building industry.
Because this is the training program, these children can set their prices and occasionally engage in bidding wars for their services. These young people may now put on their resumes, “I built four houses,” since they have completed the construction of four homes.
