WARNER, Okla. — Students at Warner Public Schools gained hands-on experience in construction while helping grow their community one house at a time.
Inside a newly completed 1,500 square foot home featuring three bedrooms and two bathrooms, students are seeing the results of nearly a year of work.
“Anytime I drive by here, I can be like I built that I helped build that,” said student Ethan Atkerson.
Atkerson was one of several students who helped build a house through the school’s construction trades program. He said students worked alongside contractors throughout the process, learning valuable trade skills while helping create housing opportunities in the town of Warner.
“Us building homes helps bring families, which then brings more people to the school,” Atkerson said.
The program began in 2023 with school remodeling projects and campus upgrades. According to teacher Ira Jackson, this was the first year students built an entire home from start to finish. The completed home is now available for purchase at 1003 5th Avenue.
Students said the project was about more than construction. With Warner’s population sitting around 1,600 people, they hoped projects like this would help encourage more families to move into the community.
“I feel like people would look at us and want to contribute to our community and join our community,” said student AJ Campbell.
Jackson said the program is already helping students launch careers in the construction industry.
“I’m very proud of them; we have students who already have job offers and students working in the industry,” Jackson said.
Jackson said the district hopes to continue building homes on lots around town in the future.
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