Garage Project A Living Classroom for West Shore Students

Rising behind one of the many beautiful homes along Riverside Drive is a two-story garage you would logically think is a big project for some lucky contractor. What you probably didn’t know is that the contractor is the West Shore Career-Technical District and those building the Dutch Colonial-style garage are high school students.

Since late August, 18 seniors in West Shore’s Construction Trades program have been spending two hours of their school day erecting the approximately 1,100 square foot garage, which will also include a portico to the house and a small covered storage area on the side. It is the biggest project the Construction Trades program has tackled, at least in the five years that instructor Mike Dow has been with the program.

“It is a great project in regards to the quality of workmanship that can be displayed by the students,” Dow said. “Most of the garages we build are the basic kind, this one is more intricate because of the exterior woodwork and multiple windows that are involved.” Lakewood resident Steve Jouriles is the architect.

The larger scale project, which should be complete by Thanksgiving, has also brought new on-the-job experience for the students that they wouldn’t otherwise get with their typical garage construction and deck jobs they do in the community.

“It has been a big challenge for the kids,” Dow said. “We are working at heights that many of them have never done before. Students are using harnesses and ropes for safety reasons. The students are excited to be a part of such a big project.”

If you are interested in having the Construction Trades program build a garage or deck, please call Mike Dow at 216-227-5962 or email him at mike.dow@lakewood.k12.oh.us for more information. It’s a great program that allows the students to learn skills that will help make them readily employable after graduation and allows the homeowners to save a substantial amount of money on their project.