Tiny homes, big money. Union School District’s tiny house construction project receives $30,000 grant
By Garrett Christensen on Tuesday, December 24th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – It’s not entirely uncommon for high school students to question if some higher-level subjects will have any tangible use outside of school. Math and science are no exception to this. The Union School District’s Geometry in Construction program is letting students learn hands-on just how important mathematics can be by building new tiny homes themselves. Helping the program out is the Wildhorse Foundation, which recently donated $30,000 dollars.
Launched at the beginning of this school year, the tiny house construction project involves students in Union’s Geometry in Construction class building a new tiny home during the 2024-25 school year for eventual sale in the community at below market value prices. The class is taught by John Townsend and Carol Wyatt, with the former focusing more on the construction/hands-on side of things, and the latter focusing on the mathematics/geometry side.
On December 18, the Wildhorse Foundation announced it had donated $30,000 toward the program. Reflecting on the massive contribution, Townsend Told Elkhorn Media Group:
“Well, it’s amazing to have groups and organizations reaching out and helping us and supporting us. It’s just a great opportunity for the students and connecting back with the community. So, it’s just a wonderful situation we’re in.”
Wyatt was likewise excited about the grant:
“It’s been really, really awesome. It’s a great feeling. It’s just really nice to see all of these kinds of plans come together and to know that we’re providing some kind of real-life application of mathematics, which, I think, is super important.”
Prior to beginning the tiny house project, Geometry in Construction (which currently has around 30 students) started out building dog houses, chicken coops, and other smaller structures before working their way up. The goal is for the sale of the current tiny house to fund the construction of next year’s tiny house, allowing the project to, ideally, be self-sustaining. Keep in mind, the students are building every component of the house themselves. The only portion of the house that was built by an outside contractor is the trailer it’s sitting on, which was custom ordered for the project.
That said, while construction is a critical piece of the project, the purpose of the class is a bit more complex. In brief, the goal of the Geometry in Construction class, at least with regards to education, is to allow for a seamless application of mathematical subjects to real-world use, blending hands-on work with classroom subjects in a way that is fun and informative for students. In addition, students gain critical knowledge and introductory experience in the trades and manufacturing, while the local community gets a new, affordable, tiny house. As was explained in more depth by Wyatt:
“The ultimate goal is to make it seamless, that the math is there to support the construction, and the construction is there to support the math. These are not two separate classes happening at once. When we’re plumbing, we’re talking about slopes and why it’s important that there’s a certain drop in the pipe. How do we make sure that that drop is the right drop and not too fast so that the pipes don’t go to the drains too quickly and also not too slow that the pipes back up? There’s just a lot of obvious connections between building a home and the actual math that supports why those building processes exist.”
Overall, there’s a fair amount of excitement among both the students and their teachers to see the house through. Townsend and Wyatt both talked about their personal excitement for what the students will do after graduation and what this entire project can do for them, with Townsend commenting:
“I’m most excited about seeing the students be able to be taught the trades and be able to take it into our community, but also being able to apply mathematics to practical building construction. So, it’s just a great opportunity for the students to really see if they want to go into the trades and then actually apply mathematics.”
And Wyatt commenting:
“I’m a math teacher. That’s what I do. Even the kids that are never going to drive another nail may spend the rest of their time doing something more technical, like in the ER as a doctor, or in computer science. They’re still going to get the math that they need. It’s important to me that the geometry I teach all of my kids is also going to prepare them either for the trades or for college.”
As of the time of writing, it’s hoped that the first tiny house will be finished by the end of the 2024-25 school year. Anyone else interested in supporting the Geometry in Construction Class or the tiny house project can contact John Townsend or Carol Wyatt at the Union High School (541-562-5166) to arrange donations. Simply spreading word of the project is also a good way to support students.
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(Photo originally posted by the Wildhorse Foundation)
