Ground Broken for 33rd Student-Built Home in Walkersville

Frederick County Career and Technology Center and the Frederick County Student Construction Trades Foundation held a groundbreaking ceremony in Walkersville for the 33rd Student House Project on Friday, November 1, 2019.  Members of the Board of Education joined Walkersville officials and residents in support of the CTC and Foundation’s latest project.

The new home site’s address is 12 Fulton Avenue, Walkersville, Maryland 21793. This lot sat empty as part of the T.R. Saylor Company’s property. A driveway connects the business property on Main Street to Fulton Avenue. The current business, J’s Bargain Appliances, uses the driveway for all deliveries and customer’s picking up appliances.

The Frederick County Student Construction Trades Foundation was formed in 1978 to provide real-world extension for students to hone their craft in the construction trades. It supports students from all ten high schools studying carpentry, landscaping, electricity, plumbing, and HVAC at the Career and Technology Center.

The Walkersville High School woodworking program has built the kitchen cabinets for student construction homes since 2003.

All construction funds are provided by the Foundation through the sale of each house. The Foundation has been providing this building experience for forty-one years through generous donations of time and materials. The profits realized from the sale of each house allows the foundation to purchase lots and for future student construction projects, offer scholarships, fund various student projects, SkillsUSA Comopetitions, and FFA Conventions. The Foundation also provided travel expenses for the CTC Engineering students to install their clean water system in Ethiopia. The foundation typically provides over $50,000 of scholarships and funding during each two-year house building cycle.