Monte Vista High students present plan to build a house, ask city for letter of support

Monte Vista High School building-trades instructor Aaron Woodke and several students told the Monte Vista City Council on a September 2025 meeting night that the school intends to design and build a roughly 1,200-square-foot house in Monte Vista as part of the class curriculum, and they asked the city for a letter of support to help secure grants and community resources.

The project, presented by Woodke and students including Mark Martinez and Logan Futura, is a yearlong, hands-on curriculum the instructor said usually runs from the start of the school year in August through May. Woodke said the program pairs classroom instruction with real construction experience and outside partners and that the students aim to complete a full-sized single-family house rather than a tiny home.

"So we're here to give information to the entire city on a project that we have going on with the high school," Woodke said during the council meeting.

Why it matters: presenters said the project will give participating students trade certifications and work experience, connect local employers with future workers, and could create a housing option that attracts young residents. The students and instructor…