Mr. Crane has a builder’s program at New Way that focuses on life skills like home maintenance, general understanding of the trades, woodworking, and concrete laying.

What makes his program unique is understanding various tools, such as hammers, circular saws, tillers, drills, and various other tools. One skill his program has is learning about project management, including learning budgeting, designing, planning, and executing projects.

The program is currently working on JH courtyard repairs, which is what the yellow tape is for. They’ve seeded the ground after tilling it, they’ve revitalized the outdoor classroom, and they are installing 3 new benches.

The program builds various things, such as campus improvement pieces, items for any school events, such as theater, fall kick-off, etc. They also build souvenirs for students. The best project they’ve made so far is resin coasters.

Kayson Bowles thinks the program is okay, but they don’t have enough tools, so he thinks it would be beneficial to have more tools to do more work. Collin O’Brien thinks that it’s a lot of fun and a lot of hard work, but he also says that sometimes it can get boring and repetitive.

Mr. Crane started this program so that students could learn other practical skills, and he wanted to provide an additional elective for students interested in those skills. He also loves building with his hands and sharing that passion with students. Mr. Crane hopes more students will like this elective every year, and I hope many students choose it each year.