School Building Trades Program

Charlevoix High School has established a fine and ongoing tradition of educating a comprehensive workforce by offering students a variety of career paths. The educators realize that every student is an individual and each should have the ability to make independent continuing education choices. In that regard they understand that to provide the community they serve a well rounded education they must offer “trade skills” training as well as the core classes for university bound students.

Over the years, Charlevoix High School has created a highly respected “Building Construction” class offering. The focus of this course requires four consecutive years of being in the program where the junior and senior students have the opportunity to actually build a complete house from the foundation up to the roof. The students are involved in every skill and trade required to plan and build the house including the plumbing, electrical, roofing, interior finishing and exterior siding.

Pine River has established a relationship with the administration and together decided that it would give the students an opportunity to work with Pine River’s “e-log” log siding system for this year’s house program. The students would have the responsibility for applying all the trim options, including door & window and the major house corners which are full logs. The “e-log” log siding is applied with traditional tongue & groove methods and the students would be responsible for that as well.

The reaction from the teacher, Brian Certa who is a veteran in the school system with many houses to his credit is very positive. Brian has been quoted saying that “the application of the (“e-log”) siding is just as easy as applying traditional vinyl siding, it really is equal”. The significance of this statement is very meaningful from the cost of labor for anyone who would consider using the “e-log” in the general marketplace. If a few high school students, who are just learning the trade can easily apply this large diameter log siding with little training, “e”magine how quickly and easily a seasoned professional building crew could master the application of the “e-log”.

The following pictures are a collage of the year’s activities. It highlights the student’s participation and chronicles their progress.

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