Sturgeon Public Schools Launches Building Futures — A High School Experience Unlike Any Other

Next school year, a group of Grade 10 students in Sturgeon Public Schools will trade in traditional classrooms for construction sites. Through a new program called Building Futures, students won’t just learn about the trades — they’ll live them.

Developed in partnership with San Rufo Homes, Building Futures offers students the rare chance to spend their entire Grade 10 year helping to build a house from start to finish. While many high school programs aim to introduce students to real-world careers, this one takes it a step further by placing them in a real-world setting — a fully operational construction site in St. Albert.

It’s more than a hands-on project. It’s school — just in a completely new form.

Learning in a Hard Hat

Each school day will begin at 8:00 a.m. on the job site, where students will balance their time between academic coursework and construction tasks. The students remain fully enrolled with either Sturgeon Composite High School or Redwater School, but instead of heading to the school building each morning, they’ll meet at the build site where math class might be followed by framing a wall. 

The program includes all the core courses required for Grade 10 — English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Physical Education, and CALM (Career and Life Management) — taught on-site by certified teachers. But what sets Building Futures apart is what happens between those lessons: students work directly with professionals from across the building industry.

That includes carpenters, electricians, plumbers, HVAC specialists, drywallers, landscapers, real estate agents, interior designers, and project managers. The students won’t just observe — they’ll participate in nearly every stage of construction. From excavating the basement to installing insulation, wiring, and flooring, students will gain experience across a wide range of trades. The only limit is safety: while they won’t be roofing at heights, they may still help shingle sections that are constructed on the ground.

A Different Kind of School Day

After their workday wraps up around 2:20 p.m., students are bused back to Sturgeon Composite High School to catch their regular transportation home or join after-school activities. Though the setting is different, expectations remain high. Students are responsible for keeping up with assignments, staying on top of deadlines, and contributing positively to the team atmosphere of the build site.

This means demonstrating focus, self-motivation, and accountability — not just to their teachers, but to the tradespeople they’ll be learning from every day. In many ways, the program operates more like a workplace than a school, and that’s entirely by design.

By the end of the school year, students will have earned an average of 60 high school credits, including valuable Career and Technology Studies (CTS) credits tied directly to their construction experience. Whether students pursue a career in the trades or take a different path, they’ll carry with them a skill set that can’t be taught in a regular classroom.

Why It Matters

As conversations about student engagement and career readiness continue across rural Alberta, Building Futures offers a clear, innovative model. It blends academic rigor with experiential learning. It creates space for students who thrive in non-traditional environments. And it connects schools directly to the industries that help shape their communities.

Most importantly, it reminds students that learning doesn’t have to happen inside four walls. Sometimes, it looks like holding a drill, reading a blueprint, or stepping back at the end of the day to say, “I helped build that.”

Story submitted by: McKenna Jones, School Communications Advisor, Sturgeon Public Schools