Last semester, students in the Rosetown Central High School (RCHS) Construction 20/30 course gained some valuable experience while assisting with an important community project.
The Rosetown Lions Club approached Ken Dows, the Practical and Applied Arts (PAA) teacher at RCHS to recruit student help with re-building the town’s minigolf course. The course is one of the community’s popular attraction situated at the southend of Main Street at the Tourism Information Centre. The Lions had raised funds to re-build the course and asked various community groups to take responsibility to each re-build a different hole. The 12 students in Mr. Dow’s 20/30 Construction Class took responsibility for Hole No. 13.
This project was value-added learning for the students as it was not part of their regular program but Mr. Dows said: “They were proud and excited to take this on. Some of them commented that perhaps someday they would take their own children minigolfing and would be able to tell their kids they had helped build the course.”
Mr. Dows added that extra project like the minigolf course add educational value to the course and this wasn’t the first time his classes had taken on additional community projects. These have included building elevated planters for senior citizens in Elrose and step-stools for mechanics at a local autobody shop. When classes take on these extra project they only ask that the cost of their materials be covered. “These are the types of things we can do to support the community and I hope to do more of this in the future.”
RCHS Principal Craig Vanthuyne was very proud of his students stating: “One of our goals this year was community engagement with the school and this project is an amazing example of how to make that work for everyone’s benefit.”
If you are stopping or driving through Rosetown, it would be well worth your time to stop and take in a round of minigolf!