News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Students in Cookeville High School’s brand-new Civil Engineering and Architecture class created renderings for affordable homes in partnership with Habitat for Humanity.
Dave Powell is Cookeville’s STEM Engineering Teacher. He said over the course of two months, students designed the renderings from the floor plan up using industry-standard techniques and software.
“They were excited about it because they could be creative and use their own thoughts about what appealed to them but still had guidelines to maintain,” Powell said. “But they did a really good job. We did everything except build a model of the house.”
Powell said that out of 22 students, about five plan on pursuing degrees in architecture. He said the class has allowed them to build 40-page portfolios to help boost their chance of entering a competitive field.
Powell said he was thoroughly impressed with the efforts of his students. He said in addition to having them succeed in their work, they also were interested in the journey itself.
“This is the first year CHS has offered the Civil Engineering and Architectural class. It falls under Project Lead the Way (PLTW) the Putnam County School System has been a part of for many years. It provides learning experiences, hands-on STEM courses for K 12 students, and professional development for teachers,” Powell said. “Habitat for Humanity is part of the PLTW curriculum, and students were asked to design homes for them. I am proud of all the students for taking on a brand new class offering. They impressed me with their quality projects and professionalism.”
