Under Construction: Fourth Grade Pier Project
Source/Author: Rachel Barrett, Director of Marketing and Communications
March 09, 2018
Since the start of the spring semester, fourth graders have been engaged in an in-depth study of engineering using the St. Petersburg Pier as their case study. On Friday, March 2, the students embarked on a special field experience to visit the Pier itself, a rare opportunity since the Pier is an active construction site.
With science notebooks in hand, the groups descended on the Pier construction offices. After getting outfitted in safety equipment - hard hats, vests, glasses, and gloves - the students met with Mr. Scott Davis of SKANSKA, the construction company building the Pier, and Raul Quintana of the City of St. Petersburg. They led the students to the the future Spa Beach site and explained how the pilings and decks for the Pier were being installed. After a round of questions, the students sketched the scenes in their notebooks to bring back to class.
After shedding the safety gear, the students entered a modular office building and took seats around a large conference table. Mr. Chris Ballestra of the City of St. Pete and Mr. Ken Duty of SKANSKA shared a presentation on the vision for the Pier and its role in the St. Petersburg community. The students enjoyed viewing aerial photos of the project's progress and the renderings of the final product.
The fourth grade teachers agreed, "They were highly engaged and had lots of great questions. As citizens of this community, these fourth graders truly feel that this is their pier."
Shorecrest would like to thank Chris Ballestra and Kristin Brett of the City of St. Pete, Ken Duty of SKANSKA, and all of their respective team members who made this field experience possible.
