Here’s a wonderful article that was published in the November 2021 edition of “The Windsor Connection” Magazine. This article explains how the program came into existence and the promise of the future.
“Windsor BUILD Academy: Building a Brighter Future” by Johnathan Williams
One of the crucial things a child can learn while in school are trade skills. Trade skills empower children to not only learn valuable skills that they can use all throughout their life, but also pursue trades as a career. This can be anything from plumbing to carpentry, and all of them have a place in our world today. For students attending schools in the Windsor Unified School District, the Windsor BUILD Academy seeks to empower students who are potentially interested in a career in the trades of construction, carpentry, and beyond.
The Windsor BUILD Academy came about as a result of the relationship Windsor High School has with the High School Initiative Office from the California Department of Education. This relationship caused the DoE to award a California Partnership Academy grant to WHS for the establishment of a trade academy at the school. After a lengthy two-year process, the academy was finally prepared for the 2021 school year, and has begun teaching students the trade skills that will benefit them later in life.
At the start, Windsor BUILD Academy features primarily construction courses. These courses will introduce students at both the middle school and high school levels to the tools they need to succeed within the trade of construction and trades adjacent to it, such as carpentry. In addition to just learning these trades, students will also earn pre-apprenticeship certifications, which will enable them to continue developing these trades not only in California, but in other states as well. On the whole, BUILD’s mission statement is the CTE Standard: “We will prepare our students to discover, explore and apply their interest in the Building and Construction Industry Sector.”
All in all, BUILD will prepare students to move into the trades related to construction with full confidence in their abilities. Whether your student knows for certain that they want to go into the construction trades, or if they think they might, BUILD offers courses that can guide them along the way. To the people of Windsor, BUILD says: “The district, as well as the schools within the district, are committed to expanding our educational offerings to students, and that the CTE programs (BUILD Academy, the Culinary Program, and the Visual and Performing Arts Programs) are a means by which to do so. Additionally, we have collaborated with industry partners (Healdsburg Lumber, Golden State Lumber, and Home Depot) within the county to develop goals and outcomes for students who show a desire to enter the trades. These industry partners are critical to helping develop and steer the career side of the BUILD program.”