On Oct. 10, students from Marticville Middle School participated in Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Keystone's Construction Wars, a yearly interactive career exploration event. The students had an opportunity to work with professionals from various construction industries such as carpentry, plumbing and masonry.

Each fall, a group of students visits ABC Keystone's facility, which serves to train individuals in specific trades. Training courses are offered on metalworking, job site safety and electrical work, along with other trades and related topics. Many companies even pay for their employees to attend classes at the facility immediately after being hired. Construction Wars is an event that serves to encourage students in their interests and guide them through the proper path to pursue a career in the trades.

During Construction Wars, students rotated through six stations, each with its own hands-on activity. At the carpentry station, students assembled their own wooden step stool. At the sheet bending station, they were coached on how to fashion a tool tray from raw materials. Students then visited the plumbing station, where they assembled and tested a closed-circuit pipe and were educated on the inner workings of a water system. At the masonry station, students put together a brick wall and layered it.

After visiting the masonry station, students were taken to the site excavation classroom, where they learned how different work sites are excavated and how construction equipment and procedures are coordinated and mapped via computers. Lastly, students received first aid training and were instructed on CPR and emergency procedures.

Each individual who operated a station is actively employed in his or her respective field and granted the students insight on what it's like to pursue a career in it. Students gained a perspective on aspects of each industry such as the education required to work in it, average pay and working conditions. "If kids don't want to be on a computer or at an office all day for work, they can go to (Construction Wars) to see what other options are out there," said Steve Evans, who teaches applied engineering and technology education classes at Marticville Middle School.

Marticville Middle School previously participated in Construction Wars only once a year, but due to increased interest, it now sends a group in the fall and a group in the spring. The school is currently looking to begin hosting career day once again to provide another opportunity for students to gain insight on prospective lines of work. Evans said the school plans to bring community members into the school to educate children on their fields and guide them through which classes to take in order to best prepare for the future.