Artful Instruction

Students and staff sharing their school with construction workers during an expansion or renovation project often experience frustration at not knowing what’s going on around them. However, Heery International, a construction management firm with headquarters in Atlanta, developed a unique program that involves students in the construction process-giving them a better understanding of the entire operation.

For nearly 10 years, Heery has sponsored model-building activities and contests in nearly 20 districts throughout the country. The contests involve students in their school building programs, promote student interest in the design and construction professions, and expose them to new ways of thinking about the structures around them.

A Model Program

“A school that is undergoing construction or renovation provides an excellent opportunity for students to learn about the design and building process,” says Kristen Freeman, who developed Heery International’s student outreach program. “By tapping into the students’ natural curiosity of the construction around them, Heery involves the children in the construction process.”

Students have put their skills to the test by modeling schools, stadiums, and parks using materials such as cardboard, construction paper, and Popsicle sticks-students found that even marshmallows, Twinkies, and graham crackers provided sweet inspiration. And, using concepts of math, science, language arts, and team building, students learn about form, scale, color, texture, and materials along with basic architecture, engineering, and construction concepts. The model building is complemented by in-class activities, including learning to read blueprints and elevations.

Case Studies

“We tailor activities to meet school or district needs,” says Freeman. Programs range from two-hour, in-class projects to system-wide design contests.

For example, in Marathon, Fla., more than 800 students at Stanley Switlik Elementary School took a lesson in architecture and construction, first watching a slideshow complete with photos of structures familiar to them. Then, guided by actual blueprints and equipped with 100 pounds of frosting, 300 chocolate bars, and 240 packages of graham crackers, the students set out to construct edible models of their school building.

“The model building program allows students to learn how a building is put together, how spaces are created, and how a drawing becomes three dimensional,” says Carlos Flores, Heery construction manager. “In the case of Switlik Cafeteria, I was able to walk the children to the building and show them how the plans became a reality and how the model related to the actual building.”

In addition to the lessons learned, the activities promote a great deal of pride in the new facilities.

“The model building project was a wonderful opportunity for all Switlik students to participate in a hands-on learning activity. The experience brought our students right into the construction process and helped generate pride in the newest addition to our campus,” says teacher Kathy DePastino.

Another outreach activity included a program at Earle B. Wood Middle School in Rockville, Md. The activity involved more than 125 students who enjoyed several weeks of instruction followed by a contest to build scale models of the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Heery first provided four classroom sessions covering architecture (classical architecture in particular) and its five elements-color, form, texture, scale, and materials. Then, students took a field trip to the National Archives where they learned more about the function of the building, explored the inside, and took note of details and ornamentation on the building’s exterior.

“Throughout the contest, we saw students get really excited about model-building, our community’s history, and the design and construction industry,” says Heery’s East Region Manager, Bill Heitz.

Winners were evaluated on the model’s construction, an oral presentation, a 400-word essay, and overall creativity. Judges included representatives from the National Archives, the Washington Bureau Chief for Engineering News-Record, and representatives from Heery.

Not only did these activities provide a great opportunity for the students, Heery staffers get a lot of enjoyment from them as well.

“I love to see a child’s face when he or she sees a blueprint of their school for the first time,” says Freeman. “Most will quietly look at it and point to their classroom or playground, keeping their distance as if the plan might reach up and bite them. But, by the end of the session, the icing mortar between their graham cracker walls is artfully spread all over the same plan and the students are begging to munch on their models.”

To learn more about Heery’s program, contact Cathi Arora, community relations manager for Heery International, at (404) 946-2191 or e-mail at: carora@heery.com.