OATC, Kearney Students Tour Parade Homes
As part of Careers in Construction Month in October, students from Olathe Advanced Technical Center (OATC) and Kearney High School learned about the residential construction industry by touring homes at various stages of the construction process, starting with the foundation stage and ending with finished Parade homes. The goals of the tours were to introduce students to the building process and explain the career opportunities available to them in the residential construction industry.
“College is not a necessary evil,” said Shawn Woods, president of Ashlar Homes and a tour guide. “Money is not out of reach.”
There were three groups of tours that took place between Oct. 8-9. On Oct. 8, 20 Kearney High School students and Career Readiness Coordinator Beth Freeman toured homes in the Northland. Todd Lipschutz of Authentic Homes, Kyle Freeman of Freeman Custom Homes and Garrett Syler of Syler Construction provided information and engaged the students in discussions regarding the different phases.
On Oct. 9, Shawn Woods of Ashlar Homes led 30 OATC students through Parade homes built by Prieb Homes, Roeser Homes, James Engle Custom Homes, and Hilmann Home Building Inc. Also in attendance were OATC Teacher Dave Pfortmiller and OATC Job Coach Tom Alumbaugh.
Students were able to ask questions to the builders guiding their tours and gain valuable insight regarding different aspects of the industry.
A big thank you goes to all the builders for participating in the tours and to tour volunteers Drake Vidrine, NBKC Bank, and Ken Jolliffe, Norbord, who assisted with the tours.
Click here to view photos.