Eighth graders in the Lewiston School District’s summer school program learned the basics of construction Monday while building homes for bluebirds in the region.
Lewiston High School construction teacher Stuart Johnson taught students how to measure wood, use power tools and practice proper safety precautions during the hands-on project at the school district’s A. Neil DeAtley Career Technical Education Center.
“Let’s head over to drill world,” Johnson said, reminding the students to wear safety glasses. “It doesn’t have to be exact, because the bird’s not going to know the difference.”
The two species of bluebirds in Idaho, western and mountain, face a natural shortage of nesting sites when they return to the state’s meadows and forested areas each spring. Their bills aren’t made for digging cavities, and many trees with suitable holes are cut for firewood or taken by aggressive nonnative species like the European starling and house sparrow.
Isabelle Dammon, who’ll be a freshman at the high school in August, said she appreciated learning more about something as practical as woodworking.
“I’ve seen my grandparents build stuff like trailers and always found it interesting,” Dammon said. “Doing this — we get to learn about some of the different tools and how to use them.”
For students who may decide not to pursue higher education, the opportunity gives them an idea of what other career options are out there, according to Shannon Kenyon, a curriculum resource teacher in the district.
Completed in fall of 2020, the center houses nine career technical education programs providing skills in high-demand jobs across the region.
“This kind of project shows them what some of the possibilities are,” Kenyon said. “And it shows them they can have an impact.”
After measuring and cutting wood with a saw, students assembled the pieces to form a slender box with a roughly 1-inch entrance hole, big enough for bluebirds but small enough so starlings can’t enter. When completed, the nesting homes will be donated to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, which will mount them to tree trunks for bluebird families to occupy.
Johnson, who works with hundreds of students each year, hopes the boxes spark an interest in some of them to pursue construction-related jobs.
“Getting to see the kids when they graduate is the best part,” he said. “This is where they learn to get over that fear of the unknown, and not be afraid to try.”
Palermo may be contacted at apalermo@lmtribune.com. Follow her on Twitter @apalermotweets.
