Flathead High students to build new house

Flathead High School students will raise the roof in new construction classes this school year.

About 30 students will construct an 1,800-square-foot, two-story home at 663 Corporate Drive in Kalispell.

Students in House Construction 1 and 2 will learn the ins and outs of the trade, from the basics of operating power tools to framing and finishing, setting them up for possible careers in the building trades.

The construction site will be an extension of the classroom. Students will clock in every day and attend class in a trailer at the build site. Flathead industrial arts teacher Brock Anderson will teach the construction classes with assistance from local people working in the construction industry. Anderson has three years of experience in a similar program.

 “I’m excited for the students that they get this opportunity,” Anderson said. “It’s pretty cool to go to an actual job site for your classroom.”

The project evolved from a need for a workforce equipped with “middle skills,” according to Anderson and Ty Shanks, manager of Western Building Center on Third Avenue West in Kalispell.

Western Building Center is a program partner along with the Flathead Building Association, Flathead Electric Cooperative, Glacier Bank and Hammerquist Casalegno.

Middle-skill jobs “require education beyond high school but not a four-year degree,” according to the National Skills Coalition. From 2012 through 2022, carpenter jobs are expected to grow by 24 percent and construction laborers and helpers are expected to grow by 25 percent — both faster than the average for all occupations — according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook.

“There is a need for skilled workforce,” Anderson said. “The building trades are hurting for skilled employees.”

A high school home construction program is not new to the valley. One was previously operated between the high school and Flathead Valley Community College and was discontinued several years ago, according to Anderson. Anderson and Shanks decided a construction program was needed and began planning a high school program about a year ago. The timing was right and the interest was there from local industries and business to get it off the ground.

“We’re going to blog, a live webcam and daily reports,” Anderson said.

The project recently benefited from an $8,000 grant through Plum Creek. The money will go to purchase tools.

A prerequisite for taking House Construction 1 is Woods 1 or Intro to Building Trades. Once the students complete House Construction 1, they have the opportunity to take House Construction 2. Anderson envisions second-year students will serve as foremen on a future construction site.

“At the end of the day we’re hoping to fill the industry-wide shortage in the number of skilled workers, which is why WBC is getting behind this,” Shanks said.

Students who complete the program may be eligible to earn a certificate to enter apprenticeship programs.

“They can continue to apprenticeship programs — electrical, plumbing, framing. We’re trying to give them as many job opportunities as we can,” Anderson said.

Shanks added, “Careers are riding on this house and we hope to build a house year after year.”

A groundbreaking ceremony is planned at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 1.

Since the school cannot profit from the sale of the home, a nonprofit is being established to create a fund that will make the program self-sufficient.  

For more information about the program visit westernbuildingcenter.com/student-house.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.