If a teacher’s task is to inspire curiousity and instill a desire to learn, then Don Nikkel has done his job.
This school year, the industrial arts teacher at Lundar School in Lundar, Man., and about 50 Grade 10-12 students built a 1,056 sq. foot, three bedroom, ready-to-move home.
After starting the project in September and working through -30 C days in January and February, the home is now complete and ready for auction June 16.
“It was a really difficult winter to make it through. That alone speaks volumes to the students’ engagement,” he said. “It wasn’t me forcing the students (outside). They wanted to go.”
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The money raised will reimburse McMunn and Yates in nearby Eriksdale, which provided building materials for the project. The minimum bid for the auction is $47,000 to cover material costs.
Nikkel, who has worked at the Manitoba school for several years, has led similar projects, but nothing as ambitious as a house.
In past, his students have built toolboxes, sheds and an outdoor classroom.
“When students work together as a group … there’s something that happens,” he said. “They’re working as a team and they’re getting something done that’s beyond just themselves.”
Nikkel said industrial arts is different from vocational programs like autobody or power mechanics.
“It’s typically more general. Rather than being highly specialized … the concept behind it is more to get people interested in a trade.”
Susan Hayward, Lundar School’s principal, said the students were enthusiastic about the project.
“The engagement level is the number one thing I see,” he said. “When I do a walk through at the house site, it’s more realistic, it’s more relevant and it’s more meaningful for the students (than some other classes).”
Nikkel said the project is also meaningful for the Interlake community.
“Being a farming community, the (citizens) see a lot of connections to it … if my kid can build a house, maybe they can build a shop for me this summer.”
