Minuteman Students Build Shed For Concord Recreation Department

Photos showing interior and exterior of shed courtesy of Chris Traganos

By Judy Bass

Learning through practical, hands-on experience is a cornerstone of technical education at Minuteman High School in Lexington. So it’s no surprise that students from the school’s Carpentry, Electrical and Plumbing programs recently teamed up to create a shed for the Concord Recreation Department, using their newly-acquired skills for real to do a project that benefits the community.

This was the school’s first project for Concord Recreation, but it might not be the last, judging by the reception it got.

Concord’s Recreation Director, Ryan Kane, was ecstatic about it.

“They did a great job, we love it!,” he declared.

The shed, which is measures 10 feet by 18 feet, has two transom windows, vinyl siding and asphalt shingles. It was constructed on site at Emerson Pool, located at 90 Stow Street in Concord. “The shed will host the pool mechanicals (chlorine system) as well as serving as a lifeguard house,” Mr. Kane said.

“It was designed as a multi-purpose shed,” said Minuteman Carpentry Instructor Chris Traganos. “It has a water fountain, two showers on one of the gable ends for the swimmers to rinse off, and two floodlights. The other gable end is the lifeguard command station and it houses the filtration system for the Concord Public Pool. The plans were drawn by the Carpentry Department at Minuteman [specifically by Carpentry Instructor Clifford Keirstead] and we worked with the Recreation Department to come up with a design that would fit in with the historical aspects of the Town.”

“The students who worked on the job were juniors, seniors and postgraduates [who constructed the shed] as one of our off-campus projects,” Mr. Traganos mentioned.

Minuteman was tapped to do the project for a specific reason, Mr. Kane said.

“Minuteman has been using the Town of Concord’s baseball and softball field. The shed is located at Emerson Park, where the baseball team is playing. This created a great win/win partnership between the school and the Town.”

It was a job that demanded finesse, attention to detail, and patience, according to Mr. Kane. “The shed had to be built around the existing footprint of the previous shed that stood on the site and the pool mechanicals. The students were challenged with the teardown of the previous shed and then building the new shed around the existing infrastructure. Additionally, they had to create something that matched the style and look of the existing structures in the park.”

At the conclusion of the project, the students had all kinds of valuable experience to their credit, said Mr. Traganos. “They learned how to design and estimate [the cost of] various materials needed for the project, as well as determining the staging and scaffolding needed to build the structure. They also learned about the process of obtaining a building permit and working directly with the Town. They learned how to work as a team and collaborate with each of the licensed trades on site. The Plumbing and Electrical Departments worked to reinstall the mechanicals involved.”

Anyone interested in applying to Minuteman High School is urged to act promptly. Applications for admission are coming in quickly due to the high level of public interest in high quality career and technical education that will be operating in the new Minuteman High School currently under construction. Please visit www.minuteman.org and go to the Admissions tab on the home page.

Minuteman is four months away from moving into a $145M facility that has been designed to support a robust college and career academy model. The academy model was adopted by staff and administration to create smaller “schools within a school” thereby promoting more personalized learning founded upon close relationships between students and teachers. The Minuteman college and career academy model integrates rigorous academics with relevant technical programming in occupational areas providing individual economic opportunity. The new facility will accommodate project-based learning across disciplines, requiring students to learn how to work on a diverse team, solve problems and think critically. These are essential 21st-century skills that students practice and apply in a variety of school-based and work-based environments.

As an accredited member of the New England Association of Schools & Colleges (NEASC), Minuteman inspires all students to attain their full potential, accelerate their learning, and become purposeful citizens in the global community.