Most students learn about bridges from a textbook, but some 撸奶社区high school students actually built one.
Seniors, and a few juniors, from the Sea to Sky Alternative School are just about finished constructing a wooden footbridge behind Howe Sound Secondary.
鈥淚t is basically a more hands-on activity so people can really show what they are made of, if they prefer doing carpentry and building things instead of sitting in class doing textbook work,鈥� said Grade 12 student Justin Polyak, who helped lay the bridge deck and set up the railing.
The former Discover Trail Bridge, adjacent to the alternative school portables, was damaged beyond repair and removed around 2011, according to Matt Simmons, capital projects manager for the District of Squamish.
The district provided the students with materials, including wood from this summer鈥檚 Mamquam Bike lane construction, which involved removing about 30 mature trees. The district鈥檚 parks department also built abutments for the footbridge out of concrete lock-blocks and placed Douglas fir bridge stringers (short pieces that go between the deck beams), Simmons said.
The project also got support from the 撸奶社区Trail Society, who built the original trail and bridge, according to the school鈥檚 teachers.
Brittany Swanson, a teacher at Sea to Sky Alternative School, said the project is part of the students鈥� blended science, technology and math course and fell in line with the main focus of the school, which is project-based learning students can take into the real world.
聽鈥淭hese are skills that you鈥檒l have and you can put on your resume 鈥� that you helped build a functional bridge,鈥� she said.
Approximately 15 to 20 students worked on the bridge, beginning in the classroom designing bridge-prototypes out of macaroni.
鈥淓very noodle stick cost a certain amount of money and we had to build a bridge to hold a candle,鈥� said student Mallory Woods, 16.
The class estimated the bridge would cost about $6,000, not including labour, if the materials had not been donated.
The students also learned about the environmental impacts of bridges, such as what species they needed to consider. In this bridge鈥檚 case, bats that may come to live under the bridge are a factor. The class is now considering building bat houses to put under their bridge. They also want to name the bridge, something the district may consider in the New Year.
聽鈥淭o put the time in and of course you have got the bad weather and sometimes you have kids having bad days and sometimes it is hard to push through it, but I think they are pretty excited with where they are at with it right now,鈥� teacher Mark Willmot said.
Simmons said the students have every reason to be proud of their accomplishment.
聽鈥淚 think it is great that Mark has got their interest and got them out in the fall and winter when it is pretty crappy weather, and got them motivated to complete it. And the quality of it looks fantastic,鈥� he said. 鈥淟ooking forward, I think we will look for more opportunities like this.鈥�
Depending on the weather, the bridge should be usable by January.
Simmons said he also expects a report to council on the bridge in January, which will include the students鈥� request to name the bridge. 聽
