Minuteman High School students help build Habitat for Humanity homes in Wayland

By Judy Bass

The two duplexes on Stonebridge Road in Wayland might seem outwardly unremarkable. Look a bit closer, and they’re truly special.

Built by Habitat for Humanity, the two new dwellings are also a tangible symbol of achievement and success for the two dozen young professionals from Minuteman High School who helped work on them.

Starting last fall, juniors and seniors in the plumbing and electrical programs at Minuteman began installing the plumbing, electrical and heating systems in both buildings, said Minuteman Plumbing / HVAC Instructor Kyle Romano. Mr. Romano also serves as Minuteman’s Offsite Project Coordinator. The two buildings at 91 / 93 and 95 / 97 Stonebridge Road include four units.

The project is expected to be completed in late fall or early winter.

Habitat for Humanity is a global organization that builds, renovates and repairs houses for financially deserving families using volunteer workers and donated materials, according to their web site. The project in Wayland, which comes under the aegis of the MetroWest / Greater Worcester (MW/GW) Habitat chapter, is not the first Habitat endeavor that Minuteman has participated in. Students in the plumbing, HVAC and electrical programs worked on another one in 2004 in Acton.

“These students learn their trade while generously giving their time to those in need,” said MW/GW Habitat for Humanity’s Development Coordinator, Grace Warwick. “Their work is appreciated by Habitat, our homeowners, and the community as a whole.”

The Minuteman students who worked on this project were plumbing students Brian Haddock ’15 (Medford), Brandon Schultz ’15 (Waltham), Josh Clark ’15 (Arlington), Ryan Harrington ’15 (Arlington), Anthony Regan ’15 (Medford), Steve Elliott ’16 (Medford), Nick Cyr ’16 (Cambridge), Tony Lepera ’16 (Belmont), Matt Sullivan ’16 (Arlington), Nikolas Gigante ’16 (Arlington), and Anthony DeGouff ’16 (Waltham), and electrical students Jonathan Alves ’16 (Arlington), Bill Burke ’16 (Watertown), Jesse Castillo ’16 (Watertown), Chris Hart ’16 (Lancaster), Jake MacDonald ’16 (Lancaster), Dylan Petrie ’16 (Lancaster), Jesse Taylor ’16 (Needham), Ashley Koll ’15 (Arlington), and Larry Fahey ’16 (Lancaster).

This project is entirely in keeping with Minuteman’s practice of giving students meaningful and unique opportunities to put their skills to use in actual situations. Not only does this help to reinforce material taught in the classroom, but it also gives students a rewarding sense of accomplishment and pride.

“Students have a better working experience knowing that they are working on a real project for the community and not just putting pipe together in class,” Mr. Romano explained. “They enjoy working outside of school, they have a sense of freedom and the work they do has an outcome.”

“We make sure these students do it right,” Mr. Romano added. He noted that although mistakes are allowed when students are mastering new techniques in class, they must consistently adhere to a high standard of excellence - with errors kept to a minimum - when they are working on-site.

Habitat for Humanity Construction Manager Jon Bram, who is a graduate of Minuteman’s postgraduate carpentry program, said that while the organization relies largely on volunteers, there are some areas, such as licensed trades like plumbing and electrical, for which professionals have to be hired. Having Minuteman donate these services increases Habitat’s capacity to build more affordable housing, Mr. Bram pointed out.

“Being able to engage the students at Minuteman, the future leaders of our community, in such a hands-on way, dovetails very well with our mission,” he said. “We hope this project will be the beginning of a long partnership with Minuteman.”

Minuteman is an award-winning regional high school that gives its graduates a competitive edge in the new global economy by providing them with a high-quality career and technical education, coupled with a rigorous grounding in mathematics, English, science, and social studies.

At Minuteman, students can currently major in 19 career and technical education programs at the same time they take challenging academic courses, similar to those in traditional academic high schools. Minuteman offers a wide selection of academic courses and programs.