KINGWOOD — Preston High School career and technical education (CTE) students are applying skills learned in the classroom to real-life situations.
“I’m very, very proud of our kids. They have accomplished a lot,” said PHS Assistant Principal Pamela Wilt.
The most visible recent accomplishment is a 30-foot windmill that stands behind the school, along the road. The windmill, and solar panels that will be installed soon, power an outdoor light along the road.
School administrators wanted the light so drivers can see ticket sellers who stand there for football games.
Students in instructors Roger Marshall’s power and energy courses, Jason Curry’s electrical trades classes, Dean Watson’s carpentry classes and Jim Veltri’s auto body classes all worked on project.
“We’ve collaborated on this,” Marshall said.
The windmill can produce a maximum of 1,600 watts. The LED light requires 140 watts to operate, and teachers are discussing adding another light. County monies paid for the electrical conduit and light pole; other expenses were covered by a state grant.
The auto body students welded the top of the pole and painted the blades of the windmill.
Senior Ethan Kelly, who is enrolled in energy and power and electrical trades classes, said the build allowed students to take knowledge from the pages of a book into their hands and use it.
Fellow senior Brandon Ringer, an electrical trades student, noted seemingly simple things, like running conduit, required a lot more planning than he anticipated and, “With the solar and wind turbine, that introduced a whole lot more. I feel more accomplished as an electrician.”
“It’s a whole lot of blood, sweat and tears to do this,” said junior Jordan Pell, who is also in the energy and power, and electrical trades classes.
Sophomore Ethan Has-kiell said the planning required not just for the build outside but for the controls inside the building were surprising.
“The average person wouldn’t think about all the little details that have to go into it,” Haskiell said.
The same applied for the construction, said building construction senior Jacon Kesner. His classes made the forms for the concrete base of the windmill and had to ensure everything would bolt up to the base properly, as well as estimating the amount of concrete needed.
Watson said the actual work involved surprised many of the students. Ditches, for example, had to be dug in just the right place so all the connections could be made with the pole, turbine and control room; and there’s as much concrete below the ground as above it.
“It’s pieces of work they can use in almostany of the trades,” Marshall said.
Students are proud of their accomplishment, Curry said. Some sent their parents by the light to see what they did.
Picnic tables
Another recent project was construction of six picnic tables for the State Division of Natural Resources. The tables — six standard sized and six handicapped accessible — are now at Cathedral State Park, near Aurora.
The state paid for the materials to do the build
