Construction students from Catholic high schools across Guelph planned and created a legacy project that will give some local kindergarten students more options to play and learn.
Students enrolled in a dual-credit course were earning a high school co-op and Conestoga College credits in carpentry, plumbing and electrical. The Grade 11 and 12 students from Bishop Macdonell, St. James and Our Lady of Lourdes would travel to Conestoga College to complete their training.
Grade 11 student Will Malone said the dual credit course allows him to work toward the credits he needs to finish high school, while also offering a potential head start by earning the college credits he will need if he continues at Conestoga College.
“It gives us a taste of all of the trades, so it’s great,” said Will.
The college courses were wrapped up by mid-December, which left a few weeks for the students to work on another project during the current high school semester, said Anne Schnurr, dual-credit coordinator for the Wellington Catholic District School Board.
Instead of building something to take home or leave at the school, the high school students travelled to St. Joseph Catholic School to speak with the kindergarten and junior kindergarten students and ask them what they needed in their section of the school yard.
“They had met these kindergarten children and they were looked up to by them,” said Schnurr. “It was very meaningful work they were doing, it wasn’t just a class project.”
The high school students determined that a buddy bench, a sensory table and a sand table would make a big difference in the play area at St. Joseph, said Ryan Lawrenson, experiential learning coordinator with the Catholic school board.
“They came out to see these kids in their own environment and came up with some ideas of what they could build for them,” said Lawrenson. “From that, the students went back and were inspired. Within three days, they had built multiple pieces of outdoor equipment for them.”
“We talked to the kids and asked them what they wanted. They gave us a list of things,” said Grade 11 student Alexandro Diloreto. “It felt good to give them what they wanted, because they didn’t have much to do.”
With the help of Bishop Macdonell shop teacher Alfred Cutajar, the students planned and built the new play equipment, funded by the board’s experiencial learning and dual credit departments.
“Before Christmas the wood shop was like Santa’s workshop, with all of these hammers going and people walking around with wood,” said Schnurr. “They tripled what we actually thought they would build because they felt so honoured and motivated.”
With more benches and tables than they needed, St. Peter and St. Michael Catholic schools also beneffitted from the project.
Will said it felt good to contribute to the project. His signature and the signature of his classmates are branded in the bottom of some of the pieces they created.
I remember when I was in (Junior Kindergarten) they didn’t really have that, so I wanted to give back,” he said.
