Godwin Heights — Just before junior Xzavier Guzman moved to a station where he pounded nails with a hammer, his science teacher Tonia Sorokin asked him a question.
“So you’re in science class,” Sorokin said to Xzavier. “What would be the best place to hold a hammer to get the most force out of it? Would it be closer to the head of the hammer, or at the end of the handle of the hammer?
Xzavier would learn the answer by doing, as he participated in Schools to Tools, a traveling program that allows students to experience what a career in the trades as a carpenter or millwright would look like, using hands-on and virtual assignments.
“Through this program, we try to give students a clear understanding of what the trades are and what they have to offer,” said tour program director Bryce Cobb, a millwright with the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights. “Students will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience through various stations, and can discover what we do and the job sites we work on through virtual programs.”
Skilled workers such as carpenters and millwrights, both of whom work on construction sites, are considered one of the 50 most in-demand jobs in the state, according to the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget.
Hammering the question
Funded by a state grant, Schools to Tools features a 43-foot bus with virtual workplace tours, skilled job information and an opportunity to try your hand at welding virtually. In addition to the bus at Godwin Heights, there were four different hands-on stations: nailing, operating battery-powered power tools, framing and leveling. At the end station, the students had to put on personal protective clothing and have their picture taken as if they were standing on a scaffolding.
At the nail station, Xzavier competed with another student to hammer nails into a block. To answer his teacher’s earlier question, he discovered that more force was produced by holding the hammer further along the handle.
Junior Nicole Brizo-Ramos, left, receives help with personal protective equipment
Andrew Graham, left, from the Schools to Tools program, helped junior Diego Fernandez frame a model house
“It was interesting to see what happened,” said Xzavier, who tried the nail competition several times. “The experience does give you the opportunity to think about other careers.”
That’s the goal, said counselor Kristi Bonelli, who helped bring Schools to Tools to the middle school.
Bonelli said offering programs like Schools to Tools provides opportunities for students to explore different careers and learn about possible options for their next step after high school.
This four-year course pays off
Cobb called it the “other four-year degree,” where those who participate go through a paid, four-year apprenticeship program that allows them to work while going to school. Upon completion, students receive a certificate from the U.S. Department of Labor, allowing them to work anywhere in the country.
“I have been to Japan and Germany as an experienced craftsman,” Cobb told the students. He also noted that several of his former students have become project managers and superintendents.
Emely Bermudez said that although she is thinking about studying nursing, she scored a 98% on the virtual welding program and was happy to give it a try. “I feel like there are a lot of experiences in this (event), and there are different things you can do that you could consider for a career,” she said. “And if you are really good at it, then you have the potential to do well.”
Read more from Godwin Heights:
• Second graders learn about communities by doing
• Real-world scenarios combined with STEM fun
