ALTON - The Alton High School Construction Trades class will resume its home-building program.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
In the next year, students in the AHS Construction Trades class will be building a house from the ground up. On Wednesday, April 16, 2025, community leaders gathered at 1 Woodland Hills Court in Alton, where the house will be located, for a groundbreaking ceremony.
“I am just thrilled to be here with you to make an announcement and to celebrate the return of our Construction Trades home building,” said Superintendent Elaine Kane. “We’ve had Construction Trades at Alton High School over the past 20 years. It’s just that we modified the scope of the course, and this morning, we’re here to celebrate kicking off the return to building homes with our students. This community continually rallies around our school and our students, and this project is no exception.”
Students will work with the Construction Trades teachers and Tycon Builders employees to build the home. Other subcontractors will contribute toward the HVAC, electrical, plumbing and interior finishes.
The Career and Technical Education (CTE) program at AHS covers several tracts, including Construction Trades. In previous years, students could build homes through the J.B. Johnson Center, but this program ended 20 years ago.
Paul Yost, owner of Tycon Builders and a graduate of AHS, got his start at the J.B. Johnson Center. He collaborated with the school district to reinstate the home-building program. He noted that the construction industry is “starving for help,” and he hopes the program encourages students to begin their careers in construction, carpentry, electrical work and more.
“It means everything to me. If it wasn’t for this program 45 years ago, I probably wouldn’t be where I’m at now. To be able to do that in high school, that’s amazing,” Yost said. “We just need everybody to rally behind the program. It’s going to take everything we can, but we’re hoping to start this for generations to come and keep this going every year if we can.”
Dr. Kristie Baumgartner, representing the Alton Educational Foundation, addressed the benefits of “hands-on, real-world experiences” for students. She said the Construction Trades home-building program is a “win/win situation,” as students learn more about the industry while also connecting with industry partners and employers.
“It leads to all kinds of opportunities for [students] in the future,” Baumgartner said. “And we also know that experience outside of the school walls and actually at a job site, it’s just an unmatched experience. So we’re absolutely thrilled to kick this off today and to have our students with us.”
Baumgartner thanked the home-building program’s sponsors, including Tycon Builders, S.M. Wilson, JEN Mechanical, R.P. Lumber, Fischer Lumber, Carrollton Bank, Lowe’s, Home Depot and the Alton Educational Foundation.
AHS Assistant Principal Mike Brey added that Construction Trades is “just one of the pathways that we offer through Career and Technical Education at Alton High School.” He thanked the teachers who have contributed to the Construction Trades class.
Construction on the house will start in July, and students will build the home throughout the school year. Yost said they hope to build a new house every year.
“This is just a chance for me to give back to a school, a community and a career field that has given me so much over the past four decades,” Yost added. “I’m so very fortunate to be in the position that I can try to help with this, and very much looking forward to it.”
More like this:
