MISHICOT (NBC 26) — Hammers, measuring tape, and math lessons have all come together inside Mishicot High School's Geometry in Construction course.
The class started four years ago, but this year, students took on their biggest project yet, building press boxes for the district's new athletic complex, part of a nearly $30 million referendum.
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Kyle Junk, Mishicot High School technology education teacher, said the course was designed to answer a question students often ask.
"We did this to answer the why, when students ask why do we have to learn this, this answers the question."
Students described the construction process from start to finish.
"In the very beginning we built a model house, it kind of showed us what it would look like," sophomore Matthew Wotachek said.
"We started laying out our framing of our walls and our studs," sophomore Zach Johanek said.
"Then we started framing the buildings and we moved onto the next steps of plywood and sidings to finish up the rest of it," freshman Levi Eells said.
While students are aiding in the construction, teachers say they are also learning valuable life skills.
"A challenge and an excitement each day getting to figure out how to connect the geometry tasks and piecing it together with the construction side," geometry teacher Bailey Schmitt said.
Mishicot School District Superintendent Cory Erlandson said the program reflects the district's broader goals.
"We're a small school, but we want to provide every opportunity that students would have at a larger school."
Students say the biggest reward is knowing their work will stay part of the school's history for years to come.
"We can show our kids, hey, we built this 20 years ago," Johanek said.
Eells said the experience carries personal meaning as well.
"It's a neat opportunity to be able to build something that will stay here for the next long period of time and to have my name on something and show that I contributed to the process."
Teachers say the class has paved the way for future projects, with plans for next year already taking shape now that they know students can tackle larger tasks like these press boxes.
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