| Dedication: OHS opens first building in construction trade program |
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By: MICHELLE WILLARD, Post Staff Writer
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Posted: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 1:36 pm
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Oakland High School students will have another educational opportunity, now the first of five building trade buildings is completed.
Local school and government officials, also with representatives from the building community were at Oakland Tuesday to officially open the masonry building.
The building is “the first step in re-establishing a local workforce in trades construction,” explained Karyn Beaty, executive director of Rutherford County Homebuilders Association.
Beaty explained the local workforce had seen a decline since building trade programs were cut four years ago. Because of a business-schools partnership, Oakland is making the first step to bring trades back into schools.
Principal Butch Vaughn partnered with Oakland alum John Floyd, RCHBA and the Masonry Institute of Tennessee to rebuild the program from the ground up. Floyd and his charitable foundation donated more than $200,000 to build the masonry building.
“The need for the other buildings is more urgent for these kids to get a well-paying job out of high school,” Floyd said.
“This is something that’s really needed nationwide, not just in the county,” Vaughn said. “This gives them (the students) a real opportunity to be productive citizens.”
Oakland Sophomore Nathan Graham didn’t have a productive future in mind when he signed up for the class. He said he just liked to work hands on.
“It was great last year and it’ll be even better this year because we have a building,” Graham said, adding the class spent all of last year moving between classrooms.
The building is the cornerstone in Vaughn’s long-term plan to bring up graduation rates at one of Murfreesboro’s oldest high schools.
Oakland was also the only Rutherford County school listed as “High Priority – School Improvement II” for failing to meet graduation benchmarks over the past three years. But Vaughn said things are turning around.
“We had the fewest drop outs of any school in the county last year,” Vaughn said.
Michelle Willard can be contacted at 615-869-0816 or mwillard@murfreesboropost.com.
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