Tiverton High Takes Second Place In State Bridge Building Competition

"It was like a movie," says Technical Education instructor Cheryl DelSanto. The world seemed to move in slow motion as Block Island School walked onto the competition floor with an almost palpable swagger.

Tiverton finished second overall to that Block Island squad–but first in weight held–in Wednesday and Thursday’s statewide bridge building competition. It was hosted in partnership by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, and the University of Rhode Island Transportation Center at RIDOT’s East Greenwich facility.

The school’s participation in the competition, which was a part of the national Construction Career Days (CCD) event, is the latest example of its commitment to school-to-career education—an initiative powered by coordinator Sheila Kauffmann.

Kauffmann says that the benefits of CCD's and events like it are crucial to student development.

"Students are seeing electricians, metal workers, masons and firemen, among others," said Kauffmann. "They're seeing these professionals in action, asking questions, and talking to representatives from schools like New England Tech."

"You can’t get this type of experience in the classroom," added DelSanto, who mentored the students involved in the bridge building competition. "It's great to say that you want to be an engineer, lawyer or doctor, but what does it take to really do those things?"

For DelSanto, CCD is an easy solution to that question.

However, securing the resources for these types of activities is not as simple.

After its abbreviation from a fulltime position to a two-day-a-week role four years ago, Kauffmann was hired as a Perkins Grant-funded school-to-career coordinator. Given her limited presence, she credits teachers, such as DelSanto, with acting as vital collaborators.

"If I didn't have a teacher like Ms. DelSanto, then that's where it begins and ends," says Kauffmann. "You need teachers who are willing to do these things."

DelSanto enthusiastically volunteered both her time and resources to work with interested students after school.

"I worked in the technical education department at Portsmouth for 11 years, and I've never had someone approach me and ask me to do something like this," she said.

Moreover, she was pleasantly surprised with the number of students who expressed interest in participating in the event, saying she was "shocked" when she first encountered a classroom of over 20 excited students.

Kauffmann expressed similar sentiment.

"Many of these kids are involved with sports or have jobs," she said, citing a commitment that extends back to February.

Sophomores Ryan Mirka and Zach Silveira made that commitment, designing a bridge that held 45 pounds—eight pounds more than first place Block Island.

However, because of a competition formula which also accounted for cost, Mirka and Silveira’s entry finished second.

But Mirka says his CCD experience offered much more than a trophy.

"I now understand more about the field, and I actually like it more than I thought I did," said Mirka, who hopes to attend Wentworth Institute of Technology after he graduates. "It makes me want to keep pursuing it."

"I learned about construction management, which is a field I didn’t even know existed," says Jameson Lawrence, another sophomore who helped with graphic design of the bridge and considers construction management a potential career path.

But even students with prior knowledge heading into the event speak of its value in reinforcing their passion.

"I knew a lot before I went," says Zach Silveira, who has family working in the construction industry. "But I like being around the equipment. Just being in the environment was cool."

DelSanto said her students will not truly experience the benefits of CCD until college application season. This rite of passage hits close to home for the mother who recently helped her daughter through the process, which she says is akin to constructing a resume.

"Winning this competition could result in scholarships," she added, of Mirka and Silveira.

Beyond the trophy winners, many other students who made the trip to RIDOT’s East Greenwich location said they were left with a lasting impression, as CCD encompassed more than the bridge building contest.

Junior Will DuBreuil took advantage of the hands-on experiences offered at CCD by operating equipment such as jackhammers and excavators, which he said were "really cool."

Looking beyond Tiverton High’s CCD participation, DuBreuil is also involved in a marina worker certification program--involvement initiated by Kauffmann.

Kauffmann discovered the program after establishing a relationship with New England Boatworks, and says it is indicative of painstaking efforts to network with the area’s various tradesmen.

"We try to get students out as much as possible," she says.

The school-to-career program is partly rooted in Tiverton High School’s commitment to technical education.

Technology department head Ed Fernandes said that, even as budgets continue to shrink, the school shows no signs of slowing down and points to future growth in the form of a new Green Building Technology class.

"We might be losing the funding, but the demand is still there," he said.

"Principal Fezette has been very supportive," says William Phillips, another technology instructor. "Not a lot of schools that aren’t tech schools still have a full technical education offering."

Kauffmann also emphasizes Tiverton High’s varied offerings in her school-to-career role, but says she is committed to equipping students with an even broader skill set.

"We have found that students are lacking some of the soft skills needed to obtain employment," she said—skills such as conducting job searches and interviewing. "Ideally, we would have more programs that would accommodate all students as they prepare for life after high school, providing them multiple opportunities to explore a wide variety of interests while also preparing them for both college and career."

So, while DelSanto might have envisioned a different ending to Thursday’s big premiere, Tiverton High is preparing its students to win in more profound ways.

However, DelSanto and her students added they look forward to a more successful sequel in 2012.