Support for the trades starts in the classroom – STABILA Inc. visits FJ Brennan High School

The future of the trades is shining bright, and one of the beacons leading the way can be found right in Windsor Ontario. At FJ Brennan High School, students are provided programs beyond the traditional scholastic offering. Under the fostering of Marko Senjanin, one of the programs that has developed is a masonry course.

This past year, we were fortunate enough to visit with Marko, and get a glimpse at how the journey of masonry begins for FJ Brennan students. Before he can educate his students on the topic of masonry, he first must develop their knowledge in the tools themselves and how they operate. For many of his students, these classes are where they learn foundational skills like how to correctly read a measuring tape or understand the differences between level and plumb. It is only after this foundation is built that the students can then progress into learning the basics of masonry.

Learning how to use a tool properly tends to take a toll on that tool, which is why Marko uses STABILA Levels in his classroom. Durability is essential in an educational environment, having a tool that can handle some abuse is necessary. Whether it’s a classroom project or an on-site job, if a level reads wrong, it can cause problems with the entire build. Having to worry less about the tool for accuracy leaves more time to work on the task at hand.

This past year, we were fortunate enough to visit with Marko, and get a glimpse at how the journey of masonry begins for FJ Brennan students.
To give the students some incite into the current masonry environment, none other than Red Seal Mason Julia Lundvall (@the.brick.chick) was kind enough to join us at the school that day.

To give the students some incite into the current masonry environment, none other than Red Seal Mason Julia Lundvall (@the.brick.chick) was kind enough to join us at the school that day. She was able to answer students' questions about the masonry trade and share her journey through the years as a mason. In true high school fashion, the topic of strength came up, and before we knew it Julia was locked in an arm wrestling match with one of the students in the class. Not surprising, Julia prevailed as the victor and continued her discussion with the class.

On a more serious note, no journey is without its struggles, Julia was honest with the students about how being a woman in the trades unfortunately can lead to further trials, and acceptance from some is best left unpursued. But Julia has changed more than one stubborn mind trough her work and sees the potential that is being cultivated earlier and earlier in programs like the one at FJ Brennan. Being where Julia is now, one thing she wishes is that she could have been exposed to the trades earlier. Being able to start learning in high school gives students that much more of an edge when they begin to pursue further education and apprenticeships.

It was remarkable to visit the masonry program at FJ Brennan High School. The work that has been put into this program is apparent, and masonry will be stronger than ever with programs like this building a foundation for the future.

Die Möglichkeit, bereits in der High School mit dem Erlernen von handwerklichen Fähigkeiten zu beginnen, verschafft den Schülerinnen und Schülern einen großen Vorteil, wenn sie sich weiterbilden und eine Ausbildung machen wollen.