The new 26,000-square-foot facility houses many of the school's adult education offices and programs. Some of the programs being offered in the new facility include surgical technologies, electrical and nursing certification.
John Reedy, carpenter instructor at SCJVS, said his students have been put to work renovating the facility for the school's use.
“All the metal studs, the walls, drywall, finishing ... they did all of it,” Reedy said. “It's 26,000 square feet that's just been one giant training ground for my students for the last two months.”
Rodney Piguet, 19, graduated this past year, but still helps with the south campus' carpentry renovations, along with his 17-year-old brother, Andy. Piguet has put down trim, drywall, metal studs and more.
“It's more like a job site,” Piguet said.
Reedy said through the work Piguet has done in the facility, he has met a professional contractor who may be offering him a job very soon.
Devin Adkins, 17, is a Northwest student attending SCJVS's carpentry program. Tuesday afternoon, Adkins was working high above the room atop a ladder.
“I've learned a lot. It just showed me how to respect the job more,” Adkins said. “I don't think I ever would have tried finishing drywall. I would have never done the firewall. I would have never learned how to do a lot of things.”
Now nearly complete, students of the electrical program already have begun attending the new facility, and more programs will join them in September.
Classes are designed to offer adult students a quicker and more focused alternative to their education.
“We give them the skills directly to get right into work, and hopefully the basis for their lifelong learning,” said Sara Deaterla, director of Continuing Education at SCJVS. “This is a way for them to get the training that they need to get the job. Once they get the job, they can continue their education with Shawnee or Rio Grande or another college.”
She said it's the same curriculum you would find in a college, offering the same state license, but does not offer college credit.
In January, the school will begin a new year of its 11-month surgical technologies program.
“They practice the skills here first in the lab, and then they go out into the clinical labs and actually do it hands on,” Deaterla said.
Jean Turner teaches the surgical technologies class with her husband, Dr. Ronald Turner. She said the class covers didactic, lab and clinical instruction, requiring students to complete 125 procedures before graduation.
“They are actually the one to pass the instruments to the surgeon, so they are in the sterile field. They have to create and maintain the sterile field,” Turner said.
Turner's students are instructed in studies of anatomy, medical terminology, computers, microbiology, pharmacology and more.
The program can be highly competitive, she said, often taking in as few as 15 students each year - though she hopes to be able to accept more soon.
Superintendent Steve Jennings said the school's attendance is growing rapidly, leading to a $19-million renovation of their north campus in Lucasville. While that is being completed, he said, they decided to occupy the new facility to minimize disruption of classes.
“What they traditionally have done is put students in trailers,” Jennings said. “From our standpoint, we've got some programs that don't lend themselves to that. It's hard to put surgical tech into a trailer. This is actually cost-savings, as opposed to the trailers.”
Even after the new building on the north campus is complete, Jennings said the school will continue to host some of its offices and classes at the south campus.
“More importantly,” Jennings said, “you took a space that was completely ran-down and renovated it. Now it's a productive part of the community.”
RYAN SCOTT OTTNEY can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 235, and by e-mail at pdt@ryanscottottney.com.
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