The commercial carpentry program at Holmes High School in Covington has its work cut out for it.
One of the flagship tracks in the district’s high school career and technical education wing, which also includes programs in health science, media, ROTC and manufacturing, the program prepares interested students for careers in construction and engineering.
When LINK nky visited the program, instructor Eric Breetz was in the middle of his senior-level blueprint reading class.
“It’s a dual credit class through Bluegrass Community College,” Breetz said. “The first half of the year, they [the students] took industrial safety. I’m an authorized OSHA trainer. We give them all the credentials they need to work on a commercial job site, and then this kind of ties in some more academic and print-reading skills.”
Breetz has been working with the school for six years. His family goes back in Covington for at least four generations. Before becoming a teacher, he worked as a commercial carpenter, contributing to all sorts of projects in the region, including the Reds’ stadium and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens.
The Covington Independent Schools Board of Education lauded the carpentry program’s accomplishments at its meeting on March 9. Board Member Stephen Gastright highlighted some of the students’ accomplishments, including the construction of a parade float for the 2022 Blink Festival, which the carpentry students constructed in collaboration with students from the welding, ROTC, and media programs. The marching band led the students in the parade.
The students were in the process of refurbishing the float for this year’s Findley Market Opening Day Parade when LINK nky visited. All of the float’s components, including its electronic lighting and mechanical systems were constructed in-house by students.
Projects like the float are just one part of the program. Students also engage in local community service projects and competitions throughout the state. In 2023, Holmes was one of 32 schools from Kentucky to participate in a showcase of career and technical education student projects at the state capitol. The program received a grant to fund their project. Later this year, the students will also participate in a competition for SkillsUSA.
Students who stick with the program through their senior year are eligible for job shadowing and co-op programs with local businesses. Students get paid for co-op work, but Breetz said that there haven’t been any students in co-op programs in 2023. Still, he hopes to get all of the seniors into job shadowing this year.
The job shadowing and co-op programs are handled in association with Allied Construction Industries, a nonprofit trade association based in Cincinnati that advocates for workforce development in the construction trades.
“They give us the opportunity to job shadow, to co-op with companies like Messer [and] HGC Construction,” Breetz said. “We’re looking to build a relationship with PRUS Construction this year. And, you know, that’s just only one avenue for our students.”
To that end, he discussed the program’s proximity to the Covington branch of the Enzweiler Building Institute, which accepted its first cohort of students this year.
“It leans more residential construction,” Breetz said. “But they also have commercial contractors, and we’re really excited to have additional opportunities there for students coming up.”
The seniors in class that day agreed.
“When I came to high school, they just told me: These are programs,” said student Josiah Burton. “And I’m like, I don’t know which one I’m going to join.” Burton said he eventually joined the construction program because he wanted to see who the teacher was.
“I started liking it more and more every year,” Burton said. He even started encouraging other students to join the program. He said he hopes to be a electrical engineer as an adult and has begun researching colleges to attend after graduation.
He credits Mr. Breetz for motivating him to stick with the program.
“Some of teachers, we don’t really have a bond with them like we do with Mr. Breetz,” Burton said.
“I’m really excited to be able to connect these students with a wide range of opportunities,” Breetz said. “Whether it’s commercial construction, residential construction, you know, even tangents that aren’t directly connected the construction field. I think that this program as a platform, as a stepping stone to try to increase awareness and build some fundamental skills that they can transfer to the next level.”
To learn more about Holmes High School’s Career and Technical Education programs, visit the district’s website.