STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Eduardo quickly raised the walls of his house, then went to work adding a chimney, archway, porch with steps and a railing and even a windowsill for flowers.

Who would have guessed this home was going to the dogs?!

Students taking in part in a Far+Wise Carpentry Camp got pretty creative with their dog houses, even endowing them with things every human house should have, such as red roof shingles made from fire retardant fiberglass and asphalt, vinyl siding and tarpaper.

Alan Heck assists students in using a cordless drill.

The camp was one of a variety of trade camps that Far + Wise has offered as part of its three-year-old Center for Career Exploration.

This one was particularly meaningful to the youngsters taking it because many, like Bradley Chavez, have family members in construction.

“This exposes youngsters to potential career paths right here in the valley—really good local paying jobs,” said Alan Heck, chair of the Trade and Industry Department at College of Southern Idaho. “I’ve heard a lot of carpenters can get $55 an hour here—you’d probably get half that in Twin Falls.”

The high school students spent the morning learning about the construction industry before they ever picked up a nail gun.

Emma Doshier, Community Education instructor, guides a student in making sure everything squares up.

They learned, for instance, how new tools have taken over for older tools, like the box and handsaw that used to cut square angles. You still have to understand what angles mean, however, to make your work accurate. It still takes math and measuring, Heck told them.

“You’ll notice we don’t have a lot of hammers—the one thing we use hammers for now is to fix mistakes, remove bent nails. Otherwise, we use staple gun to hold things in place until we put screws in—they hold longer.”

Heck noted that construction trades are open to anyone of any gender or any ethnicity. While no females were in this class, more females are entering the industry, he said.

“We want to get kids to work where they’re from, to plug the gaps in their community. But carpentry is an universal skill so they can go anywhere. It’s a skill you can use for life.”

Kevin Aguilar watches as Jimm Cerron works on the base of their dog house.

As the work progressed, the students learned how to work with various tools, including a pneumatic air tool and a band saw that sent a plume of sawdust arching out that continued to fall for minute after the student stopped sawing.

“There are lots of air tools, lots of sharp tools—thus the need for safety glasses, ear protection, even a hard hat in many cases,” Heck cautioned.

Heck noted that Blaine County is at the forefront when it comes to using recycled, renewable, green products in building.

“And everything is battery operated today, like cordless drills. They’re not as hard on the body as the old tools were.”

While some of the students worked as a team, Eduardo built his house on his own.

One of the students in the woodworking camp had taken several other camps, as well.

“I liked the airport camp the best because I like mechanics but I don’t want to do car mechanics,” he said. “Working at the airport would give me something where I could work outside and I wouldn’t have to be inside all day.”

“My goal is to become a fighter pilot,” said another, who had taken both the airport camp and a law enforcement camp. “Then, I’d like to come back and join the sheriff’s or police force.”

Students are currently taking part in Mountain Operations camps with Sun Valley Resort, learning about various jobs including snowmaking, grooming, hospitality and terrain park building. This is the second winter Sun Valley Resort has partnered with Far+Wise on the camps.

“They've placed three students in permanent jobs through students who took the camps last year, and we will be running summer apprenticeships with them too,” said Laura Lewis, executive director of Far=Wise. “We have two automotive courses running this winter/spring--both full, with 20 students. We also have a senior care camp running--students who complete this camp have the opportunity to intern with The Senior Connection and then be eligible for scholarships for CNA certification at CSI, with the scholarships provided by The Senior Connection and Far + Wise.”

Far+Wise introduced the first of its trade camps nearly three years ago as part of its Center for Career Exploration to allow students to explore career possibilities in law enforcement, health, construction and even artificial intelligence.

The idea is to engage high school students who may not wish to pursue a college education. One student, for instance, rode in an airplane during the first camp addressing airport careers and now is on track to become a commercial pilot, said Jennifeer Gennuso, who oversees the program. Another student took a culinary camp at Sun Valley Culinary Institute and now is heading to the Culinary Institute of America.

Want to learn more? Visit https://www.farandwise.org/.