ROCKFORD, Mich. — Sophomores at Rockford High School are learning geometry through hands-on construction, building real sheds that combine mathematical principles with practical building skills.
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The school's first Geometry in Construction class pairs students like Meghan O'Leary and Mason Meyerholtz with both math and construction concepts as they design and build functional structures.
"Wow, that looks like a really interesting class. Like, I've never seen anything that combines both, like how math would be used, and, like, the construction," O'Leary said.
The class is team-taught by math teacher Aaron Karsies and technology education teacher Brian Richardson. Students complete mathematical calculations in the classroom before applying those concepts during construction.
"Mr. Carsey taught us the math that we needed to do for the shed, and so a lot of the time you could go ahead if you wanted to with the math and find the angles that we needed," Meyerholtz said.
Karsies said the class provides practical applications of geometric concepts that students might not encounter in a traditional classroom setting.
"When this idea came about, I was like, oh, this is an awesome opportunity for students to do something practical and learn and get some hands-on experience that they're not going to get in my regular geometry class," Karsies said.
Richardson hopes the program will encourage students to consider careers in the building trades while building confidence in their construction skills.
"One of the things I want to do for these kids is give them the ability to say, hey, I can do that myself. I want them to have that confidence in themselves that I can figure this out, and I have the skills to go out there and build that," Richardson said.
The hands-on approach is already influencing students' career considerations. O'Leary said she's "definitely thinking about taking either like an engineering path or maybe architecture or something like that."
Meyerholtz said, "I mainly took this class just so I don't have to hire people to work on my house; I can do it myself and save a lot of money, but I would consider that this as a job."
The school sells the completed sheds for just over $2,000. All sheds built during the current school year have already been sold, but more will be available at the end of the next school year.
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