The Spirit of Construction Foundation’s Outreach Program At Sayler Park School

“I loved this project!” – Cameron, 7th Grader at Sayler Park

Strategic partnerships are critical to building stronger communities. These collaborations enable Beech Acres Parenting Center to reach even more individuals with our mission. Recently, Beech Acres partnered with The Spirit of Construction Foundation, Allied Construction Industries, and Pipe Fitters Local 392 to bring a special construction related project to students and families at Sayler Park School.

“Applied Mathematics in Construction” is part of The Spirit of Construction Foundation’s Outreach program. Thanks to The Spirit of Construction Foundation, fifty students at Sayler Park were able to participate in the project. This year, students worked with volunteers from Allied Construction Industries and Pipe Fitters Local 392 to learn the skills to build a PVC chair. This exciting project spanned 6 weeks and included two review sessions and four weekly, hands-on build sessions. Outreach programs like “Applied Mathematics in Construction” are important in connecting tangible, real-world applications to school curriculums. Students are able to see how the skills they are learning in the classroom can apply directly to skills they can use in a real-world career. Beech Acres presence at Sayler Park allowed this connection of the community and the school to extend to parents as well, reinforcing and strengthening an important connection that is critical to student success.

Staff at Sayler Park School and Leah Dickman, Beech Acres on-site Therapeutic Service Provider reported increased student engagement among those that participated. Over half of the participating students reported that the project helped them with fractions and 100% of them said they were “confident or very confident with measuring”.