Two Paul Kane students are getting hands on and up close with construction this winter as they help build the next version of their school.
Grade 11 students Dylan Durand and Aiden Forshaw are working on the construction site of the new Paul Kane building this winter through the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP).
RAP gives students a chance to earn high school credits and money through work in the trades, with any hours they log contributing toward a future apprenticeship, said Bill Turnham, who runs the program for St. Albert Public. The program has exploded in popularity during the pandemic, with some 50 students in his district enrolled in it last year — he usually gets about 10.
Turnham said this is the first time in his 20 years with RAP that he has had students at a school working to build the next version of that school. This site’s closeness to Paul Kane is a plus, as it means students can work during school hours and get to their jobs without a driver’s licence.
“You walk out the door, put your gear on, and you can be on the site in a matter of minutes,” Turnham said.
Future builders
Durand and Forshaw have been working at the Paul Kane site since about October 2021.
Durand said he got interested in RAP after he saw a flyer on it at school, drawn by the chance to learn a trade and earn some money. Now, he’s hauling supplies, building door frames, and training with a co-worker to become a welder through the program.
Forshaw said he is working as a general laborer right now, but is set to start working with tools and drywall in the days ahead.
Durand and Forshaw said there are about 50 people working on the school site on a typical day, grinding, hammering, and drilling against a backdrop of cut wood and burning steel. There is never a quiet moment, and there is always someone who can use your help.
“At the start it was confusing, as I’m not used to working on a site like this,” Forshaw said of the job site, but his co-workers soon helped him to adjust.
Forshaw said he works three days a week from 9:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Durand works Monday to Friday, stepping out of class at 11 a.m. to get his hard hat, gloves, goggles, reflective vest, and steel-toed boots out of his car before strolling off to work.
“I think it’s a total of 20 steps,” he said, when asked about his commute.
Durand said he has learned a lot about carpentry, blueprints, and communications through this job, adding that it is cool to have people asking him about the work and the new school during class.
“It’s pretty funny when your teacher is asking you, ‘Hey, what’s my new classroom look like?’” he said.
Durand said the new school is much bigger than it looks from the outside, and features a massive gym, art, and drama room.
“Everything’s upscaled to be the best of the best.”
Crews are installing walls and windows at the new Paul Kane and have started on drywall, masonry, painting, mechanical, and electrical work inside, minister of infrastructure press secretary Hadyn Place said in an email. Paving and sidewalks are set to go in this spring, with construction finished this fall. Demolition of the current Paul Kane is set for late 2023.
Forshaw said he hopes his RAP experience will help him in his future career with the military, adding he will probably feel nostalgic when the new school opens.
Durand said it is amazing to think that his siblings might someday climb stairs and use doors he helped build at the new Paul Kane.
“It’s pretty crazy.”
Durand and Forshaw will continue to work on the new Paul Kane for the rest of this school year.
