Springfield-Clark CTC students build house for local residents

Tommy Rowe, senior CTC students who worked on the CTC 2019 project house, talks with Lynn Cochran, the owner of the new house, during the open house Tuesday. Students showed up at the beginning of the school year to find only a basement and as the year draws to an end, the house is complete. BILL LACKEY/STAFF

Tommy Rowe, senior CTC students who worked on the CTC 2019 project house, talks with Lynn Cochran, the owner of the new house, during the open house Tuesday. Students showed up at the beginning of the school year to find only a basement and as the year draws to an end, the house is complete. BILL LACKEY/STAFF

After months of hard work, students from Springfield-Clark Career Technology Center have completed construction on a house they built as part of their schoolwork.

Several students have worked since September of last year on the house, according to Ric Howard, CTC carpentry instructor. The team consisted of about 29 students from programs including carpentry, electrical trades, and heating and air technology.

Springfield-Clark CTC is one of a few vocational schools in the states that provides this opportunity to students, according to the school.

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“They get a lot of real hands-on experience,” Howard said. “The students are getting a taste of what it’s really like to be in the workforce.”

Tommy Rowe, a CTC student, said this was the first time he had ever helped build a house from scratch.

“I’ve learned a lot about new building and building from the ground up,” Rowe said.

The exterior of the 2019 CTC project house. BILL LACKEY/STAFF

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The house is now owned by Justin Cochran, who applied with his wife to have the house built by CTC students. Cochran said he was thankful for their hard work, and he’s happy they got hands-on experience in the process.

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“There’s nothing more real-world than these kids getting to build a house from the ground up. It was really neat to see the whole process come along,” Cochran said.

After seeing the completed project, Cochran said he was thrilled with the results.

“It’s beautiful. They did a great job. It’s amazing what they were able to accomplish in the short time they were here. We’re just grateful to have been able to be a part of that process,” Cochran said.

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