GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Two new houses are about to hit the Green Bay housing market thanks to students in the Green Bay Area Public School District.
The homes are being built through the Bridges Construction and Renovation program.
At the corner of Green Bay’s 4th Street and Chestnut Avenue sits a new two-story home.
It was built by a group of 18 students in the Green Bay Area Public School District’s Bridges Construction and Renovation Program. The program is a collaboration between the school district, local construction companies and programs like NeighborWorks, among other partners.
According to Brian Frerk, instructor of Bridges Construction & Renovation, “The students get experience in many different phases of carpentry. We take the house from the ground up. We do the framing, finished carpentry, drywall. They don’t do some of the specialty stuff the electrical the plumbing that’s done by the experts, but the students are here when it’s happening and they get the experience of seeing what it’s like.”
Designed for high school juniors and seniors, Bridges not only introduces to students to careers in the trades, but it also helps to prepare them for jobs in a field that is struggling to fill positions.
“To go from a just few students several years ago to this many, it’s just exciting. It’s so exciting to see the hard work pay off. And maybe, even if we don’t get them all into the industry, it’s just exciting to see the interest build and continue to build and the collaboration is exciting,” adds Cheri Galecke from DeLeers Construction a Bridges Advisory Team Member,
The 18 students who completed this house were recognized for their work Tuesday afternoon. While some, like Jalen Brown, who’s secured a job with LaForce working in construction were motivated by the class, others simply learned skills that will help them in the future, whether they pursue a career in construction or not.
Jalen Brown says, “It made me want to do a little bit more than usual. I wanted to make more of myself also. So, I decided to take the opportunity and make that next step.”
Jacob Schommer adds, “Just to learn how to build a house, kind of nice because I might build my own house when I settle down somewhere and it would be a nice skill to have, trust my own work.”
While the Bridges program introduces students to carpentry and teaches them homebuilding and renovation skills, working on a project like this is about so much more.
“We have lots of conversations out here, many of them have nothing to do with carpentry. They’re about life and what they want to do beyond high school. 0401//0416 I try and mentor them in life, not just carpentry,” says Frerk.
A few finishing touches need to be put on the 4th Street property, but it’s expected to hit the market soon.
The Bridges program is already focusing on next year when students are expected to build two homes on adjacent lots on Green Bay’s Day Street.
