Ben Ellis, a teacher at Center Middle School, recently received an award as the outstanding educational partner from the National Institute for Construction Excellence (NICE). The award was presented at the group’s annual awards luncheon, attended by over 500 executives from the construction industry.
Mr. Ellis received the award because of his commitment to getting students involved in the NICE iBuild competition. Each year, the competition gives students an opportunity to design a solution for a construction project and build a scale model demonstrating their solution. Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students in Mr. Ellis’ gifted class spend 4-5 weeks each spring on their projects. They follow guidelines published by NICE that are more complex at each grade level. The projects focus on environmental sustainability, feasibility, cost, and meeting community needs.
Project outputs include a project notebook with scale drawings, location, property acquisition cost estimates, green building practices to be used, a construction budget, and a construction plan. There are usually around 100 projects submitted and the Center students have received numerous awards. During last year’s competition, 6th & 7th grade projects received first place awards and the two 8th grade projects submitted received 2nd & 3rd place awards.
The competition gives students the opportunity to use their skills in math, science, and communication in real-world settings. Examples include the used of advanced spreadsheets for the budgeting process, persuasive letters for land acquisition requests, and creation of scale models to demonstrate the design. They also learn about the different construction trades that are involved in projects.
Congratulations to Mr. Ellis and his students for this outstanding recognition!