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Mendocino College Sustainable Technology Program benefits from experienced local instructors
Today, the program continues to grow, with classes in Ukiah, Willits, Laytonville, and Lakeport, as well as online.
Program coordinator Jennifer Riddell credits the program’s success to the “outstanding instructors” who use a step-by-step approach to demystify everything from plumbing and electricity to reading blueprints.
The college allows students to take individual courses or sign up for certificate programs, including Construction, Renewable Energy, and Residential Performance and Efficiency.
Referring to a recent survey of current and former students, Riddell said she was pleased (but not surprised) to report that “100 percent of the respondents said that they would recommend the program.”
Most students are between the ages of 18 and 45, but many retirees in their 60s and 70s also enroll. Students come from all walks of life and blend together in the classes, learning from the instructors and from each other, Riddell explained.
One of the most popular instructors is Willits native Noel Woodhouse, who has been with the Mendocino College program since its inception.
After working in construction, he became an instructor. Now he teaches woodworking, construction fundamentals, residential remodel and repair, and construction documents (understanding blueprints). In his spare time, he coaches boys soccer, girls soccer, tennis and track.
Woodhouse teaches at Willits High School and Laytonville High School, because the Sustainable Tech classes are “dual-enrollment” classes, allowing high school students to get college credit.
The classes are unusual compared to other courses taught on those campuses because the classes include both high school students and community members.
“l enjoy the mix of ages in the college classes, both the experience and focus of the older students and the energy of the high school students,” Woodhouse said. “The students seem to thrive with the hands-on nature of the classes.”
Projects in the classes range from small, individual student projects to partnerships with community non-profits like the North Street Collective in Willits and the Gardens Project in Ukiah.
Former students have built chicken coops, shade structures, sheds and other projects; and according to Woodhouse, students in his classes seem to enjoy contributing their labor to the community and they show off their newly acquired skills.
One of the reasons the Mendocino College Sustainable Tech program has flourished is because of the increasing focus of public schools on Career and Technical Education, or CTE.
Because of its practical, hands-on nature, CTE courses can inspire youth who do not excel in traditional classrooms.
CTE often allows students to learn in a more kinetic way, and the practical skills they gain can put students on a path to earning a living doing work they enjoy.
Riddell, who is also a Sustainable Tech instructor, said Woodhouse is one of many excellent instructors, and encouraged anyone interested in taking construction courses to check out www.mendocino.edu/sustainabletech.
She noted that this fall, Woodhouse will teach Construction Documents 1: Understanding Blueprints at Willits High School and Introduction to Woodworking at Laytonville High School. Riddell will teach Construction Fundamentals and Green Building on Fridays at the Ukiah campus, and Sandy Tanaka will return to teach Introduction to Photovoltaics on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“Sandy’s students will be putting a stand-alone solar system in our tiny house at the Ukiah campus, and building a shed at Lakeport Center,” said Riddell. “They’ll also be doing two actual solar installs with Grid Alternatives, which continues to be a wonderful partnership for our program.”
Sam Halstad will teach Introduction to plumbing, where students will install two water-collecting cisterns and connect them to the toilet plumbing in the college’s demonstration house. This way, students will have an opportunity to learn about traditional plumbing, graywater systems and rainwater catchment, Riddell explained.
Longtime electrician Craig Bach of Lucerne will teach Introduction to residential electric to help students feel more confident about safely, accurately wiring houses, and Ron Verdier and Nick Pearson will co-teach the construction documents course through the Ukiah campus.
“This is the same class Noel is teaching, but it will be an online lecture with an in-person lab on Mondays in the late afternoons, which we hope will be more convenient for those in the trades,” said Riddell. “Nick is Noel’s counterpart at Ukiah High, and we hope to deepen our relationship with students at Ukiah High through this program.”
In addition to introducing new skills to students, the Sustainable Tech program informs them about how to comply with Title 24 regulations that will go into effect in 2020, affecting “everyone in the construction trades,” Riddell said.
“In our Efficient Heating and Cooling course, we are already talking about these issues and what kinds of modifications will be necessary to meet the new guidelines. What kind of furnace will you install? How will you manage heating and cooling–the biggest energy uses in a home? What kind of HVAC system would you install, if any? These issues are important for people already in the trades who want to get a head start on the new regulations,” she said.
Classes begin Monday, Aug. 21, but there’s still time to register for credit through Sept. 1 or for pass/no pass grading through Sept. 22.
For registration and class information, visit https://www.mendocino.edu.