Minuteman High School Engineering students tour buildings in Needham area

Builder Scott Harris gives design and construction lesson to seniors in Minuteman High School’s Engineering program. From left side of horseshoe: Davis Kahmann (Arlington), Michael Georgoudis (Malden), Scott Harris (Consolidated Contractors), Nakeyra Santos (Lexington), Eric Giniger (Carlisle), Lucas Abreu (Arlington), Becky Quay (Engineering Instructor).

Photo by Demos Skipitaris

By Becky Quay

Five Minuteman High School seniors - Lucas Abreu (Arlington), Michael Georgoudis (Malden), Eric Giniger (Carlisle), Davis Kahmann (Arlington) and Nakeyra Santos (Lexington) - guided by their Engineering teacher, Becky Quay, and organized by Vicky Seriy, Real Estate Associate at Benoit Mizner Simon & Co., were recently shown three residential and one commercial property in Needham to kick-start the Project Lead the Way course called Civil Engineering and Architecture.

According to the Project Lead the way web site, “Through our pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science, students not only learn technical skills, but also learn to solve problems, think critically and creatively, communicate, and collaborate” via real-world educational experiences.

Minuteman Engineering students can take the Civil Engineering and Architecture class during their senior year and receive college credit from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute or the Rochester Institute of Technology after successfully completing it. During this course, they learn architectural concepts of design as well as structural and site design. To begin this learning process, students studied several different types of architecture, and they observed various types of floor-plan layouts when Ms. Seriy showed them homes in the Needham area.

The first stop was at 143 Hunnewell Ave., listed with Agapi Sfakianakis at Century 21 Commonwealth. The students met Demos Skipitaris from Alphi Development and Scott Harris from Consolidated Contractors who spent two hours going over the construction design specs, architecture, and innovative materials used for energy efficiency in the new construction home, as well as the effort required to build this home.

After that the group followed Ms. Seriy to another new construction home in Needham on 97 Great Plain Ave, built by DiFazio Development. The students made sketches and studied the architectural layout. The third house Ms. Seriy took them to see was a 1947 Cape on 140 Grant Street that has been completely renovated by Christian Carvill with True Value Properties. The students were able to see how an older home can be turned into an oversized brick-front Cape with today's updates and charm.

The final destination was a commercial property on 26 Ossipee Road in Newton N2 Square, owned by 1238 Chestnut Street Trust. At this site, the students saw the steel structure of a large commercial building, as well as a different layout of office space and lab layout, freight elevators, and more.

This was a highly educational trip that brought substance beyond the classroom that will be referred to over the course of the school year. When asked what they thought of the field trip, Davis Kahmann said, “It was a great opportunity to see firsthand how drawings and models translated into actual structures.” Michel Georgoudis said, “I thought the field trip was a good visual aid for the material that we learned and are going to learn. It was also good to learn real-life benefits of certain building materials.”

As Ms. Seriy reflected, “The students were respectful, completely engaged, and knowledgeable. It was my pleasure facilitating this opportunity to our future architects and engineers to see the new construction, beautiful architecture, and design of the future.”

Minuteman was established in the 1970s as one of more than two dozen regional-vocational technical high schools in Massachusetts. Over the years, the school has distinguished itself by building a reputation for excellence. Minuteman students consistently excel on the larger stage and have won numerous awards at state and national competitions. Minuteman challenges all students to revolutionize their high school expectations by aspiring to their full potential, accelerating their learning, and achieving success in the 21st-century global community.