PHS students building tiny house for homeless person as part of skilled-trades class

Dawn Richey "wanted to let (me) know about a project PHS students in Eric Morton's Skilled Trades Program are doing.”

Thanks to that tip, I spent an interesting session with teacher Morton and some of his very talented kids, all Peninsula High School juniors.

They'd built a tiny house to donate to a homeless person, using all of the skills they have learned in Morton's class.

"The class is mainly made up seniors,” explained Morton, "and their last day is tomorrow, Tuesday the 12th. We are having a little party for them."

Unfortunately, I missed the party. But I got to see the tiny house and PHS juniors Austin Lyon, Wyatt Cranford, Adrian Cusick, and Landen Bullock putting the finishing touches on the freshly painted project.

Morton advised that the Gig Harbor Friday Morning Rotary Club provided all the materials for the tiny house. Students built it, and Rotary is donating it to the Low Income Housing Institute of Seattle (LIHI). The tiny house will be going to one of LIHI's homeless villages in Seattle.

“Why Seattle?” I asked.

Because there is no similar program in Pierce County.

"This project I am a part of has taught me a lot more skills from rough framing and siding to the interior flooring and finish work,” Lyon said. "I have strengthened the skills I already knew. Precise details I wasn’t so good at, now with the practice I got from this project, I can take out with me during the summer and to next year and then after graduating apply them to the real world. I'm excited to make this work for me later in life.”

Classmate Cranford said he "got out of this project how to work well with others and how important it is to make accurate cuts. Working well with others and being early is a good thing. It feels very nice to say we are trying to help out our community and being able to say that we built a tiny house that will hopefully help someone in need of help and trying to get back on their feet."

Morton explained that the Skilled Trades Pre-Apprenticeship course is a district-wide program offered at PHS.

"This year we started with 14 PHS and four GHHS students who received instruction and hands-on training in multiple trades including carpentry, electrical, plumbing, painting, Drywall and others,” Morton said.

"This class was my light in the dark,” said Bullock, a junior. "For as long as I can remember, I have been forced down a steep dark hallway that would only result in a college education. My whole school career I have been dragging my feet and hoping that I would be able to find my own pathway and be able to live my life the way I want to. The Pre-Apprenticeship and Trades class has taught me that there are so many pathways and jobs to pursue, I don’t need a fancy degree or fancy schooling to get somewhere in my life."

Said Cusick, "I made new friends and learned skills I never thought I would learn and be interested in, like building things with hammers and saws. Taking time for a project to complete it, I re-learned some simple math skills that I needed. It opened my opportunities to do new things outside of high school."

The 18-year-old senior graduates walked away with industry certifications in OSHA 10, Forklift Certification, Scissor Lift Certification, First Aid/AED/CPR certification, Flagger Certification and ANEW Certification, all free of charge. They participated in multiple field trips including job-sites and training centers. The class was blocked 5th and 6th periods all year long for a total of 360 hours. This was the first year the district offered the program.

Let’s make sure it continues!