Construction Academy: A Class Taught By Mr. Divdahl

Construction Academy is a class offered at Fergus High where students spend two hours of the school day learning the essentials of constructing a house. The class, taught by Mr. Drivdahl and Mr. Peevey, travels to an empty field where students construct a house. Mr. Drivdahl explained that the students learn how to perform the essential tasks of what it takes to build a house: drywall, flooring, roofing, plumbing, framing, etc. Mr. Drivdahl also said he enjoys teaching the class because it's a two hour long class during sixth and seventh period, and it gives him the opportunity to bond with his students, especially because there are only eight students in the class. Drivdahl expressed that he really enjoys being able to bond with the students and getting to know them on a personal level. “I know that at least half of my past students have already used what they learned in my class in real life situations,” said Drivdahl. After noting that this is his last year, Drivdahl also mentioned that there might be difficulty in replacing his position because Montana colleges no longer offer the Industrial Arts degree. Vice Principal Jeff Friesen said “we are going to do everything in our power to continue the Industrial Arts program as it

“We carpool up to the site which is right next to the college, and we just pick up where we left off the day before. We have to make sure that we wear our hard hats and tool belts though, so that is the first thing we do when we get to the site,” said Krumwiede. “We are building the house in two parts, because it has to be transported in two parts to fit on the highway. It is a two story house with 1,680 square feet, but that doesn’t include the basement. That part is poured with concrete, not built.” The house will have three bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs, and the kitchen and living room are both 20 feet by 15