Green Bay Area Schools is offering limited face-to-face classes to students during the pandemic. (Fox 11 Online)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Green Bay Schools Bridges and construction program is meeting in person.
They’re among the first Green Bay students to return back to some level of in-person learning.
“You can’t learn on a video how to put together a house,” said Bridges and Construction Director and Instructor, Brian Frerk.
“The good news is we’re outdoors, we can generally spread and maintain social distancing,” said Frerk, “they’re all wearing facemasks at all times and we don’t share tools other than the big power tools.”
The high schoolers spend their time hammering and putting the pieces together, to build a house from scratch.
“It’s just more practical,” said Frerk, “I didn’t learn construction from my father, grandfather, everyone else, in a classroom. We learned it by building something.”
The program has eight students reporting in-person on this project, four days a week. It’s one of over 40 courses being offered in person by Green Bay Schools.
Green Bay East senior, Luis Anguiano, said, “being home all day is not what I like doing. I only have a few classes online because most of my credits are done, but it’s actually refreshing being out here.”
But when Green Bay Schools did temporarily pause face-to-face classes, so did construction.
“We had a short pause and I let the students work on that online safety course,” said Frerk.
But after two weeks away, it was back to business as usual.
“We’re a little behind but overall we’re getting back on schedule,” said Anguiano, “I believe this is a great opportunity for me.”
The free course not only offers credits for high school, but NWTC as well. Which Frerk says gives his students a jump start if they pursue this essential career.
“Construction never took a pause when everything shut down so the same thing here, we’re able to work it out,” said Frerk.
The students will continue to work until the end of the school year.
Some of the other face to face classes that have been approved by Green Bay schools include automotive, certified nursing assistant, and agriculture programs.
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