Reuse, restore and repurpose are major themes in Tim Carlson’s Industrial Technology program at Capital High School in Olympia.
“I do a lot of scrounging for material,” said Carlson, who has taught shop classes in the Olympia School District since 1972.
Sets of filing cabinets with broken drawers? He’s squirreling those away for metal shop projects.
Lawnmowers that won’t start? He’s hoping students in the power technology class can bring them back to life.
So when the school district ended up with extra trusses from the repair of Capital High School’s 2008 roof collapse, Carlson worked with administrators to find a way to use the leftover materials.
The triangulated wooden structures with metal reinforcement became the backbone of a new 47-by-51-foot covered workspace for the school’s Career & Technical Educational (CTE) programs.
It’s a giant carport about two stories tall, with lighting and power outlets designed to accommodate welders and other power tools.
Construction cost for the covered work area, often referred to as the “CTE shed,” was about $93,000, according to district spokeswoman Rebecca Japhet.
The project was a creative way to add a learning area to the school while also using extra building materials that were worth too much money to toss in the scrap pile, assistant principal Jeff Broome said.
“They’re replacement parts that we didn’t end up using,” he said. “It’s a great space for kids to use. It’s well utilized, for sure.”
The covered area will be an ideal spot for kids to work on large projects, such as hot rods and garden sheds, Carlson said. “We could never schedule anything based on the weather,” he added. “I love it. It will expand our possibilities.”
Lisa Pemberton: 360-754-5433 lpemberton@theolympian.com www.theolympian.com/edblog
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