Not every young man is a naturally gifted carpenter, but every young man at St. Martin’s Academy will learn the fundamentals of carpentry in our new Construction Trades Certificate Program. We’re serious about forming well rounded young men and as a result our curriculum entails a tremendous breadth of knowledge and experience across disciplines. But more than simply providing our students with a diverse array of experiences we seek to unify those experiences in such a way that they shed light on one another and contribute to an integrated whole.
With this in mind we have coordinated with the local community college in order to provide our students a nationally recognized construction trades curriculum built by Kansas’s very own Crossland Construction. This Practicum will be taught by a local contractor, Jack Karleskint with assistance from Dusty Harryman, and our very own Joshua Gieger.
Every Wednesday afternoon for about 4 hours the boys will work on projects in Mr. Karleskint’s shop or out and about on campus building sheds, saddle racks, or other structures necessary for the farm and school. The carpentry work will include framing floors, walls, and ceilings; installing windows, doors, and stairs; and roof framing. Perhaps most importantly, the curriculum will provoke the boys to implement concepts learned in math classes and virtues considered in literature discussions thereby truly embodying an integrated education. It doesn’t hurt, of course, that they will graduate in two years with a valuable skill set and a nationally recognized construction trades certificate.
St. Joseph, pray for us!
