Tweet

By John Marinelli

When most think about school, they think about putting pencil to paper, crunching numbers or memorizing state capitals. But classes like shop and home economics often provide just as many learning opportunities.

That’s why two Yuma Elementary School District One schools, Gila Vista and Fourth Avenue Junior High, have implemented a pilot program that brings back those electives.

Through a partnership with the Arizona Business and Education Coalition, or ABEC, they’ve been able to partner with local businesses and get industry experts into schools to teach the tricks of their trades.

Jon Kovesdy of McCarthy construction is one of those industry experts, stopping by both Gila Vista and Fourth Avenue whenever they have construction class, helping them with their respective projects.

Gila Vista’s students, separated into four crews, are constructing a garden bed each, meant to be used for an agriculture class that the school has planned for next year. Kovesdy said that things in the class are coming along well, if a little slow.

“The fact that we can start applying the math and fractions into this, it’s really so cool,” he said over the din of screwdrivers and the whirring of saws during a construction class at Gila Vista on Thursday.

Click here for the full story: https://www.yumasun.com/news/district-partnerships-breathe-new-life-into-shop-class/article_cfa322d0-6571-11e9-b77b-efb426c3703c.html