Valley Vista Students Receive Expert Advice on Their Home Work

Elba Mata, 15, didn’t expect to slap on a hard hat and help cut wood when she spent a recent morning following a carpenter around to see what his job was like.

But Elba and several other Valley Vista High School students picked up hammers and saws at the Hamptons housing construction site in Huntington Beach as part of a newly revamped home building class.

This is the first year the Fountain Valley continuation school has given students in the class an opportunity to do work rather than watch over others’ shoulders.

“I cut wood, but I cut it wrong, and I drilled some holes too,” said Mata, a Westminster resident who is interested in interior design. “But it was fun. It’s important for all of us to learn how they put houses together.”

About 30 students signed up this semester for the home building class, which introduces students to careers including architecture, carpentry, plumbing and interior design. Students visited the construction site several times this month to help professionals do everything from laying pipe to picking out paint colors.

Actually doing the work instead of hearing people talk about their jobs gave Adriana Correa, 15, a better idea of the service end of the industry. She spent one day helping a customer relations manager and said she’s considering changing her career emphasis.

“I don’t know if I want to do this, “ said Correa, a Fountain Valley resident. “We spent the morning running around, getting the plumber and painter and taking complaints. If there’s a little speck on the wall, the customer wants the whole wall repainted. Geez!”

Other students, like Blanca Torres, 18, of Huntington Beach said they liked getting an insider’s view of the industry.

“When you move into a house, you don’t know all the small touches they add,” Torres said. “We learned how they fix the paint when they scrape a wall, or how they paint a fireplace.”

Giving students an opportunity to try their hand at a trade can give them a focus before they spend time and money on specialized training, said Steve Todd, a quality inspector for New Urban West, which sponsors the class.

“This gives some of the kids an opportunity to see professions they could go into, if they’re not sure,” he said.

Although the craftsmen had to take some time to give their helpers directions, the extra pairs of hands were put to good use, carpenter Orville Barnette said.

“They did good for their first time,” he said. “They cut the boards and I nailed them up. I thought they were going to steal my job.”