BY PENNY LEUTHARD, STAFF WRITER
Clearview Community Forest continues to improve. Last year, students from Tech High School’s YouthBuild program built a trail head pavilion at the entrance to the forest. Recently, four students from the same program came to Clearview for the second stage of the project, building a storage shed for the structure.
YouthBuild provides specialized training to students in construction and other fields in the building trades. Students chosen for the program receive school credit, a small stipend and equipment needed to perform the work. The program only accepts work for nonprofit organizations; building Habitat for Humanity homes is an ongoing project.
“The YouthBuild program focuses on getting kids ready to go into the construction field,” explained advisor Mike Stadther. “It’s good to get the kids experience in reading blueprints, which is key. Even I make mistakes, it’s part of the learning curve.”
Along with reading blueprints and the actual construction, the students working on the storage shed also went to purchase materials needed for the project, making sure to stick within the budget given to them.
Apollo High School student Chase Debrobander was one of the students working on the project.
“I’ve learned a lot of skills and how construction works,” he said. “Like how to put in drains, installation and landscaping.”
Another Apollo High School student, Mohamed Ali, also worked on the project.
“I wanted to gain experience in construction work,” he said. “I’ve been lucky, there’s a lot of things I learned about houses I never knew, plus a lot of stuff I never thought I’d be doing.”
Any St. Cloud District 742 youth 16 to 24 years old can sign up for YouthBuild, which is set up in two four-week sessions each summer.
“It’s worth your time,” said Debrobander. “I’ve surely had a lot of fun and learned a lot.”
The completed storage shed will be used for tools and Clearview’s field desks and lessons that are used during educational outings in the forest.
