A group of 22 carpentry and electrical students from Dean Tech recently toured the construction site for the new Peck Middle school. They arrived with significant classroom learning already under their belts. They left with a renewed sense of wonder and optimism for the many career opportunities that await them after they graduate from high school.
“I think it was amazing,” said Darwin Maldonado, a 10th-grader who is relatively new to the carpentry field. “It showed how dedicated these people are to building the building. And it shows the amount of teamwork that everybody puts in.”
Darwin was one of nine high school seniors and 13 sophomores who toured the Peck construction site. Also on the tour was 10th grader Shaniralyan Correa, who marveled at how organized and spacious the construction site was. “I want to work here,” she said. “I would gladly work here.”
Senior Kinamarie Ayala was equally inspired by her visit to the construction site. “I’m really excited about seeing all the different trades working together. I really liked seeing how it’s all coming together. I think it’s going to be a really beautiful school.”
While Kinamarie, who is studying carpentry at Dean, is still undecided about her future career plans, she said the tour helped her realize that the building trades offer a wide range of opportunities. “I like to see everybody coming together and working together. It actually makes me want to do this trade more, because I feel like I am going to be gaining a lot of new connections and perspectives on this trade. That’s really what I am looking for.”
Violet Luppi, a 10th-grader in the electrical shop at Dean, was equally inspired seeing the work crews working together at the Peck construction site. “When I graduate, I hope to go into an apprenticeship, and then after I’ve gotten my license, I want to go to school for electrical engineering. I would love to see myself doing something like this,” she added, pointing to the Peck School that is nearing completion.
The new school will be ready to accept middle school students for the start of the 2025-26 school year.