"I get to build my high school!"
How many students get to say those words? Oak Farm Montessori High School Sophomore, Porter Lowe, has always loved to tinker, build, and create. While in middle school, he rebuilt small engines, worked with farm equipment, and proposed the idea of a museum of machinery.
As a Freshman, he could often be seen driving around campus on the lawnmower he overhauled. Using his engineering aptitude, he created a 3D condiment caddy for the Oak Leaf Cafe business to easily transport their condiments without spilling. In addition, he also created a 3D architectural mock up design for the proposed coffee shop that he presented to our Head of School.
Building upon this love of engineering (pun intended), Porter volunteered to work with S&T Contractors, LLC this Spring when they did some maintenance work on our beloved treehouse. He loved working with Les and Adam so much that when they approached him about helping with the high school addition, he quickly signed up. "Porter is officially an employee of the company," said owner, Adam Taulbee. While he is only allowed to work up to three hours a day, the amount of knowledge learned on the job far surpasses traditional learning from a book. "Construction is math. We use Pythagorean triples, geometry, physics, and more," Taulbee stated.
Porter is excited to be learning tools of the trade alongside lifelong tools that will advance him outside of the classroom. "Oak Farm Montessori School has provided me with a place to try new things. I don't know exactly what I want to do in life, but I know I enjoy working with my hands, and I can't think of a better way to express my interests." We can't either Porter.
