Saugeen District Secondary Student Andrew Malcolm was finishing up the siding on the newly built work shop at the Southampton Cemetery January 11, part of the Construction Specialist High Skills Major class under Teacher Bud Halpin.

Hub Staff

Hard work showcased by 18 Saugeen District Secondary School (SDSS) students has come to fruition as a work shop that they have been building is almost complete. Located at the Southampton Cemetery, the building will house the water system as well as store the tractors, mowers and burial equipment, said Teacher Bud Halpin.

The semester project for the students enrolled in Construction Specialist High Skills Major saw the students onsite for the majority of the semester, as they got on the job construction experience while gaining school credits, site certifications, first aid training and apprenticeship hours through the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP).

Halpin said the building is the 10th project that SDSS has done through their partnership with the Town of Saugeen Shores, citing the job as on the same scale as the Southampton Amphitheatre at Fairy Lake. “[The program] wouldn't be possible without our partnership with the Town of Saugeen Shores,” said Halpin January 11. The teacher went on to say that the High Skills Major allows students to be trained for the work place, and that many have gained valuable experience and certifications including their Working at Heights. The students also received one on one help from licensed carpenters throughout the build.

Student William Forsyth had the opportunity to design the roof for the new building, the roof was then built by students and lifted with a crane. Forsyth said that he learned a great deal over the semester. “It taught me a lot. I've never done any of this before and now if I do this at my house, I know how to do it,” said the student.

Grade 11 student Zac Vanhaelemeesch has been taking construction classes throughout high school, admitting that he prefers the semester working with his hands over school work. “This is something that I want to do when I’m out of high school, I’m enjoying it,” he said, adding that it gives him an opportunity to learn from his mistakes. “We all basically came out here knowing nothing pretty much. I think from where we are now from the few months that we’ve started this...we’ve learned quite a lot more than we would have at the high school.”

Students enrolled in Saugeen District Seconday School’s Construction Specialist High Skills Major class spent their semester building a new work shop at the Southampton Cemetery.

Grade 11 students Zac Vanhaelemeesch and Austin Heard were in of the elements working on scaffolding January 11.

William Forsyth who had a hand in designing the roof and Bailey Bissonnette were helping to oversee some jobs as the 18 students neared the end of the project January 11.

The students enrolled in the Construction Skills Major spend Monday through Thursday on site and built an office as their first project of the year.