For students at Ranken Technical College, there’s no such thing as a “normal” classroom setting. These students, who are studying the fields of construction, plumbing, HVAC and electrical skills, spend their time in the St. Louis community building homes to gain hands-on training.
“Since 1993 we’ve had students actively building homes in blighted areas of our community,” says John Wood, vice president for student success at Ranken Technical College. “Everyone’s a winner with this program. Students gain technical skills and experience while the community gains much-needed affordable housing in the Central West End area of St. Louis.”
More than 50 project homes have been coordinated by the non-profit organization Ranken Community Development Corporation (RCDC) since the program started almost two decades ago. Within Ranken’s construction program at the college students receive instruction from faculty members and in-field residential building construction experience.
“This program is great because it exposes students to a wide variety of construction techniques they will need to know as they launch their careers in the housing industry,” says Wood. “For example, this past summer 82 of our construction students had the opportunity to work on two side-by-side house foundations. For one, they used the traditional poured concrete technique to create the foundation. Then, for a second home they worked with Superior Walls by Precast Concrete Solutions to have precast insulated foundation panels installed at the work site.”
Homes created as part of the RCDC are sold locally to help repopulate neighborhoods in hard-hit St. Louis areas. “These homes all meet the stringent ENERGY STAR for Homes Version 3 guidelines and are created as affordable options for people interested in enhancing St. Louis neighborhoods,” says Wood. “Proceeds from the sale of the homes are used to build more homes and involve future students in home building projects.”
For information on Ranken Community Development Corporation, visit the college’s website at http://www.ranken.edu/about-ranken/ranken-community/ranken-community-development-corporation.
Scholarships for kids of first responders
City Academy will provide a full one-year scholarship to a qualified child of a member of the St. Louis Police, Fire or Emergency Medical Technicians forces.
The scholarship, worth $20,000, is City Academy’s response to the difficult position that parents living in the City of St. Louis must face as they seek high-quality education for their children in a district that has lost accreditation. City police, fire and EMT professionals, who are required to live within the city’s limits as a condition of their employment, find themselves in a unique bind, especially if they cannot afford a private school alternative.
“Our founding belief is to serve committed families whose educational opportunities are limited by economic or geographic factors,” says City Academy President and Co-Founder Don Danforth III. “After hearing some of the testimonies of parents who serve as the City’s first responders, it is clear that these families are indeed limited by geographic factors. We hope this offer will ease the educational worries of at least one of these families, and prompt many more to look at City Academy as a viable alternative.”
Located in North St. Louis, City Academy is the only private, independent elementary school in St. Louis and the State of Missouri that provides significant scholarship support to 100 percent of its students. The school serves students from age four through grade 6 and currently has more than five applicants for every opening. All families pay tuition based on need and must volunteer at least 20 hours per year. More than 83 percent of City Academy’s graduates have been accepted into some the area’s academically rigorous secondary schools.
The deadline for application is January 31, 2012. To apply, contact Nikki Doughty, Director of Admissions at 314-382-0085 or ndoughty@cityacademyschool.org.
