The School District of New Berlin and Tim O’Brien Homes will kick off the third year of their partnership with the groundbreaking of a new single-family home in Franklin’s Ryanwood Manor community Wednesday, September 9.

Ten Construction III students, from both Eisenhower and West, will work alongside the Tim O’Brien Homes construction team and contracted trade partners to build a version of Tim O’Brien Homes’ “Sage” ranch home plan. The previous two homes built in part by SDNB students are located in the Red Fox Crossing neighborhood and are now owned and occupied by New Berlin families.

Construction III serves as a capstone course in the district’s construction pathway, one of many pathways the SDNB offers to better enable students to explore an industry while in high school. It also compliments the career-and service-based learning program as an additional opportunity afforded to students who are interested in pursuing experiential learning opportunities. The home-building experience allows students to apply what they have learned in the classroom while providing an authentic dive into the construction building process, thus helping to inform their secondary and postsecondary plans. Through the process, they will learn about and assist with all aspects of construction including framing, roofing, plumbing, electric, HVAC and finished carpentry.

“For a third year in a row, our district has been fortunate to partner with Tim O’Brien Homes to provide our upperclassmen with a truly immersive experience that can’t be duplicated in a traditional classroom setting,” said Kelli Kwiatkowski, Director of SDNB’s Secondary Teaching Learning. “The program allows these students to approach their education in a totally different way, providing an advantage as they prepare to transition to life after high school. I’m excited for them to get the chance to connect with, and learn first-hand from, a wide variety of professionals across the different trades involved in the home construction industry.”

The Construction III students will spend a minimum of three hours every morning working on the job site. Technology and engineering instructor Jeff Martin, who also teaches the prerequisite courses Construction I and II, will be at the worksite to support the students as they apply the skills they have previously learned to this exciting project.

The groundbreaking event, which is open to the public, is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, at the Ryanwood Manor construction site located at the northwest corner of S. 76th St. and W. Oakwood Rd. in Franklin.