A handful of M State carpentry students, fresh from an extreme construction site, loaded their gear and tools into a trailer marked with the college’s logo. Their weary eyes and bright smiles reflected a busy but rewarding day.
Twenty-three first and second year students explored their chosen career paths in the highest profile real world classroom one can imagine. Their shift lasted from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Instructors alerted students just weeks ago that their help would be used on the site of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” when the show made a stop in the Fargo-Moorhead area. First year carpentry student Cory Knutson didn’t know if he could believe it.
“You’re not joking? We’re gonna be on the show? I thought it was gonna be totally crazy working with so many people,” Knutson says.
But what Knutson found on the work site was a well-orchestrated system of skilled workers and an accelerated working pace, due to the requirement of building a home in 106 hours or less.
“It’s a great – awesome – experience and it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” says Gene Schwartz, one of the instructors. “It’s crazy how fast they go!”
A big fan of the show, Seth Feist enjoys watching Sunday nights to see how crews pull of building a home so quickly. His class experience today, involved working along side some of Fargo-Moorhead’s best.
“I liked it,” Seth Feist says about being part of the experience. “I always watch the show on tv, I like that they build houses for people who really need it.”
After watching so many episodes of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” Feist not only witnessed the show in action, but became part of it. And after seeing many different styles and types of homes, he and other students were anxious to see how the Grommesh family home would take shape.
“I really like the creativity,” Brandon Halberg, a second year carpentry student, said about the show, which he also enjoys watching.
It’s probably safe to say this is the favorite class period of the semester. And they’ll get to re-live it in a month or two and try to spot themselves on national television.