ANGOLA, NY – Students in Home Maintenance and Repair at Lake Shore High School took class outside on Wednesday, Sept. 23, to mix and pour concrete. Led by technology teacher Peter Brockman, the class filled wooden forms with and without steel rebar to compare the two.

Working on a tarp just outside the technology shop, students combined bagged concrete mix with water. Then they took turns working each batch in a mixing tub with a long-handled hoe. Mr. Brockman coached them through every step, and everyone wore safety glasses for the whole lab.

The rebar is the heart of the lesson. Steel rebar runs through concrete to help it hold up against bending and cracking. That is why it shows up in driveways, foundations, and steps. Pouring plain and reinforced forms side by side gives students a comparison they built with their own hands.

Home Maintenance and Repair is one of the ways Lake Shore Central School District gives students skills they can use for years. Whether it is patching a step, setting a post, or pouring a small slab at home, these students now know how the job starts.

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