GAP students build home from scratch;
alumnus awarded
Jake Spitzack
Staff Writer
The shrill of whizzing buzzsaws and smells of sawdust have become commonplace for Guadalupe Alternative Program (GAP) students enrolled in the school’s two-year construction career pathway program. Every year, they work under the supervision of a professional construction team to renovate a home or build one from scratch. This spring, 40 students wrapped up work on the first of four low-income single-family homes to be built on Page Street East on the West Side – just a few blocks from their alma mater – and 2012 GAP graduate Boe Boe recently sold the home.
“It meant a lot to get the opportunity to sell the home,” said Boe. “I still feel like the [GAP] teachers and YouthBuild team take care of me and are like family…. [I advise students to] stay focused in the program because it will help them in their career in the future.”
The program has been offered at GAP school for nearly 30 years. It’s operated in partnership with YouthBuild, a nonprofit with more than 280 similar programs across the country that give youth work experience. In August, Boe was selected from thousands of people across the country to receive YouthBuild’s Alumni of the Year award because of his help with the program.
Boe immigrated to Minnesota at age 18 from a refugee camp in Thailand and joined GAP school after being pushed out of his local high school after reaching the age limit. He said the program taught him a wide variety of construction skills uncommon in his homeland. Houses there are often built with a mixture of bamboo and wood and don’t need air conditioning or heating units, glass windows or many other features that are required in homes in the United States. He also said most GAP students must learn English as a second language and that the teachers do a great job of pushing that skill on them during class time. Since graduation, he has volunteered at the school as an interpreter and advisor to students.
“The students today have very good opportunities to build the whole house and that’s very good,” said Boe. “Back in my time we didn’t get to do a lot of stuff… I didn’t help build any homes from scratch, just renovating.”
Students completed nearly all parts of the most recent home with their own hands, doing everything from carpentry to painting to meticulously examining blueprints. The only parts of the project they couldn’t do were the installation of heating and air conditioning, and plumbing and electrical systems, although they had the chance to shadow professionals who completed that work. The home is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified and was recently awarded the Malcom Lewis leadership award from the U.S. Green Building Council for its design, which uses no natural gasses and features cellulose insulation, solar panels and more.
YouthBuild construction program manager Tony Zahradka said the four homes will be slightly different, but all will be low-income single-family homes and environmentally friendly. In fact, YouthBuild will use them as a sort of case study to determine how to make the most environmentally friendly build, and will use that design to guide other projects across the country.
“The students are really great on the site,” said Zahradka. “A lot of them come to us with struggles in the classroom and a lot of them love to work with their hands and outside…. It’s rewarding to see the transformation of students who maybe come in with not a lot of confidence, and maybe haven’t done well in a traditional school but really excel on the construction site and use those skills to springboard them into their career, whether that’s in construction or not.”
GAP school purchased the four lots on Page Street East in 2016 with plans for students to build a multifamily unit but the City’s zoning requirements had them opt for single-family units instead. Students recently broke ground on the second home, which is expected to be complete in October 2025.
GAP school also offers a healthcare career pathway program. Both pathway programs teach digital literacy skills. In 2019, the school merged with The Change Inc., a Minneapolis-based organization that creates educational and training opportunities for youth, young adults and families. The two organizations had worked closely together for more than a decade and the merger allowed them to streamline and expand operations. The Change Inc. was chosen for the name of the organization, but the GAP School name was retained for the alternative high school and associated programs in St. Paul.
GAP School and traditional Aztec dance group Kalpulli Huitzillin will host a free Dia de los Muertos Celebration 1-3 p.m., Saturday Oct. 28, at the school, 381 Robie St. E. It will feature an ofrenda exhibition, Dia de los Muertos ceremony and Mexican cuisine. For more information, visit thechangeinc.org.
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