Area 30 student complete work on Shelter No. 5

Pictured with the afternoon class are instructor Donnie Watson; Ed Newman, Greencastle Parks Department; FOP President Joan Davies; Troy Scott with the Parks Department; and instructor Bob Johnson. Students are Jacob Alexander, Jorge Cavell, Derrick Daugherty, Zach Graham, Kyle Jackson, Harold Jones, Ethan Mitchell, Eric Nation, Tyler Pettit, Matt Ray and Zak Waddell.

GREENCASTLE -- Students in the Area 30 Building and Construction classes have finished remodeling Shelter No. 5 in Robe-Ann Park.

The project was sponsored by Friends of the Park, and marks the second time a park shelter has been revamped by the class.

The building trades construction project at Area 30 was created as part of a method of moving from textbook learning to hands-on instruction for students.

"The roof was leaking and the shelter looked pretty bad," said Friends of the Park Board member Jan Firebaugh. "They extended the roof and the overhang. I can't believe the difference in the way the building looks. They do such a great job."

Students in Donnie Watson's Building and Construction classes are concentrating on remodeling this year.

"This was a perfect project for them to work on," Watson said.

Last spring, the class tore down and rebuilt one of the large shelters in Robe-Ann Park. The classes have built homes, helped with the People Pathways and worked on various other projects in the county.

This career and technical education program provides an assortment of hands-on experiences including layout, fabricating, erecting, installing and repairing structures and fixtures.

Students learn about carpentry, painting, trimming, roofing, siding, plumbing, heating and air conditioning, electrical systems, construction materials, estimating and basic blueprint reading.

They also learn about site investigation, planning, layout, decorating and all around job safety.

With the morning class are Bob Johnson and Donnie Watson with Area 30; Rod Weinschenk, Greencastle Parks and Recreation; Greencastle Mayor Sue Murray; and Jan Firebaugh with the Friends of the Park. Class members include Jake Collier, Jeffrey Dale, Thomas Decker, Josh Hunt, Cord Miller, Seth Miller, Michael Mosier, Kyle Nelson, David Norris, Pat Richardson, Jes Seipel and Pane Stewart.

Anyone who would like to join the Friends of the Park or donate to their endowment can contact the Friends of the Park Association of Putnam County, Inc. P.O. Box 464, Greencastle, IN 46135.

For information about Area 30, call 653-3515 or visit their Web site at www.area30.k.12.in.us