From left are Sam Graves, president, Strahm Building Solutions; Vince Beasley, Pathways Cooperative director; Jeff Buck, Strahm Building Solutions sales; and Aaron McKinley, building trades instructor. Strahm is working with the Pathways Cooperative to renovate the former central office building of the Wawasee Community School Corporation. Photo by Tim Ashley.

By Tim Ashley
InkFreeNews

SYRACUSE — During a typical school year, building trades students of the Pathways Cooperative build a house from the foundation up. This year, for likely the first time ever, students are learning how to renovate a commercial building to include essentially gutting most of the former central office building of the Wawasee Community School Corporation.

“It’s a first experience for the kids and something they don’t usually learn,” said Vince Beasley, director of the Pathways Cooperative, adding, “We are excited to team up with a previously used contractor (Strahm Building Solutions of Fort Wayne).”

The 6,000-square-foot building, located on the campus of Wawasee High School in Syracuse, was originally built in the late 1960s and then expanded in the 1990s. It was vacated during the summer when central office staff moved to a building on Sycamore Street in Syracuse.

Planning for the renovation project began in mid-August and demolition work began the week before Labor Day. With the exception of a few walls needed to support the roof, the interior of the building will be stripped out. Then it will be transformed into a building to be used for Pathways programs.

There will be three classrooms, an administrative area to include the Pathways staff, a conference room/break room and restrooms. Beasley noted the Health Sciences/CNA and Power Up! programs will utilize the building, and there will also be an entrepreneurial academy where students will get to see the business side of Pathways’ programs. Students will learn what it takes to start a program, how much it costs to maintain it and other business aspects.

Strahm Building Solutions has an on-site coordinator working closely with Aaron McKinley, building trades instructor. It was noted building trades students are potential future employees of Strahm, so it will benefit the company to work with high school students.

McKinley said students are not only seeing the commercial side of construction and learning about demolition, but the seniors who are in their second year of building trades will have the experience of building a house last year and this year’s project. And the opposite will be true for this year’s juniors who plan to return next year and will likely be building a house then.

The goal is to have the project finished by the end of the school year and to have an open house at that time. McKinley estimated demolition work should be completed by fall break (Oct. 16-19) and then the building portion will begin.

There are 37 students in building trades this year, a considerably higher number than normal. They are nearly evenly split between morning and afternoon.