For the last four years, Luverne High School has offered a building construction class for high school seniors interested in the construction trades and the building industry. This class is called “TnT Tradesmen,” which stands for “Today and Tomorrow’s Tradesmen.”
The Wood Shop & Construction Trades instructor, Darrel Van Aartsen, explained that the school administration, city administration, construction trades contractors, and himself had been interested in starting a class like this for seven or eight years. Through a grant and help from the City of Luverne, this class has now been a reality for the past four years.
The class usually consists of seven to nine senior students. In the first year, they moved a house and remodeled it. In the second and third years, they built new homes with basements. This year they are building a slab-on-grade home, meaning it has no basement or crawl space.
This year's home is coming along well. The framing work has been completed, and the rough-ins for plumbing, HVAC, and electrical are also finished. Subcontractors come in to do the plumbing, HVAC, and electrical work. Students are able to watch, observe, and sometimes help with certain parts of the process while being overseen by the contractor.
Currently, students are working on aluminum soffits and beginning to install siding. They expect to have the house completed by the end of the school year.
Darrel Van Aartsen shared why the class is important to him as the instructor: “This class is important to me because I am also a contractor by trade and see the need for more men and women involved in the construction trades. I am also a hands-on type of person and remember my high school years in the wood shop. Having the opportunity to further develop my abilities there helped me realize that I could be successful in the building industry. I wanted to give students like me the opportunity to use their talents as well.”
He also shared that he is working on compiling the complete cost of the entire project in the next week or so. Once that is finished, they can begin marketing the house even before it is completed.
“We have had a lot of interest in the house and would like to be able to market it soon,” Van Aartsen said.
Story by Ella Schmuck, LHS Class of 2026