Ozark High School Students Gain Real-World Experience Working with Historic River District

Ozark High School students are no strangers to working with real clients on hands-on projects, and this spring Construction Tech 2 students did just that as they built a storage shed for Ozark’s Historic River District. 

“Students learn best through hands-on projects,” said Construction Teacher Mark Trigg. “When students have a connection to the finished product like a local organization such as the Historic River District, it means more to them. They will be able to drive by the shed in the future and know they built it themselves.” 

This client-connected project came to life when the Historic River District, a local nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing and preserving Ozark through economic development, reached out to the school. Faced with rising costs for off-site storage to hold tables, chairs and event supplies, the group was searching for a solution. Board President Jillian Johnson, who is also a team member at Decorating Den Interiors, remembered seeing student-built playhouses at the high school and had a lightbulb moment: why not partner with the school to meet a real need while giving students valuable hands-on experience?

“The mission of the Historic River District is to preserve and enhance the small-town charm that makes Ozark special,” Johnson said. “A big part of that effort is involving younger generations and encouraging them to take pride in their community. We hope partnerships like this not only give students meaningful, real-world experience but also inspire them to help protect and celebrate what makes Ozark such a great place to live.”

This wasn’t just a standard shed. Johnson and the Historic River District collaborated with students to design something that reflected the character and charm of downtown Ozark.

Throughout the build, Trigg said he made a point to take a step back and let students lead.

“As a teacher my favorite part was holding back as much as possible from my personal involvement,” he said. “Even in difficult situations, I would offer advice as needed but I very much let it be their project. We try to run the class like a real world work environment so I often had to tell them ‘just figure it out’ and asked them how they would handle it if they were doing it entirely on their own. It was great to see them work through the challenges and overcome them.  That's life.”