Students Participate in Groundbreaking Event for House

On September 7, the construction students took part in the ground breaking ceremony for a new construction project on E. Water Street in Paoli.

The construction classes working on the project include students in Intro to construction, construction tech 1 and construction tech 2.

This will be the construction trades program’s 15th housing project in Paoli. The homes being built for this project will benefit the community with quality housing at more affordable prices.

“We are incorporating a lot of advanced building techniques to make the home very energy efficient, storm resistant, and more affordable for the future homeowners,” said Building and Trades teacher Jon Shellenberger.

Junior Chris Nunez is in his third year in the program.

“I chose this class because I feel like this is the right thing for me and I’m really excited about getting this house done because watching it all come together is pretty neat,” said Nunez.

According to a press release, “The Paoli Housing Task Force strives to build and renovate 25 homes by 2025 through partnerships with community organizations, developers and builders, financial institutions and local, state and federal programs.”

During the groundbreaking ceremony, numerous representatives from the Orange County Economic Development Partnership, the Orange County Community Foundation and the Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement were also in attendance.

“One person can make a difference, but together we can make an impact. That is what we are doing today,” said Imojean Dedrick, Executive Director of the Orange County Community Foundation said in a press release.

In addition to working on the local home, the students are currently working on other projects for the school.

“We are also working on different projects in the shop at school such as building a 15 foot shuffleboard table made out of a piece of the old PHS gym floor,” said Shellenberger. “There will be many more projects that we’ll build throughout the school year but these are several that we’re currently working on.”