Schools Aim to Build Skills, Pride with Housing Program

In a community where a few years ago home builders had a hard time keeping pace with the overwhelming demand, an innovative program may soon have high school students constructing houses.

The city of Palmdale’s Redevelopment Agency and the Antelope Valley Union High School District are developing a joint program that would give students hands-on experience while also providing housing opportunities for low-income families.

“There are so many skills that could be learned on a job site,” said City Councilman Jim Root, also a work experience coordinator at Highland High School and a driving force behind the program. “Education is a lifetime exercise and there’s a lot to be learned by building a house.”

Home building would do far more than teach students to lay roofing tiles, install plumbing or wire an electrical outlet, Rood said. There will be other benefits that are harder to quantify.

“What better project to give students some pride in their community, and (let them) say ‘I built that house,’ ” Root said. “I like that dream that kids involved would have a great deal of pride.”

Students would be producing something tangible. “It’s a lasting monument,” he said.

Bruce Tourville, who teaches construction techniques at Quartz Hill High School, said students who have heard about the house-building program are eager to participate.

Tourville’s students now build everything from storage sheds to chicken coops to gazebos at the request of buyers, who pay for the materials’ cost.

“It’s a great idea,” he said. “It will give the kids a real life experience, something they’ll always remember.”

There are some similar student home-building programs in other parts of the state, although Tourville said they are far more prevalent in the Midwest.

The Palmdale City Council unanimously agreed Thursday to allocate up to $200,000 for the program, and to allow staff to negotiate with the high school district to develop it. Root hopes to see students preparing to build their first house when school starts in the fall.

The high school district has to put together the curriculum for the program, which is expected to be administered through the Regional Occupational Programs at Palmdale and Highland high schools where students and adults can qualify to receive vocational education.