JAY – Kirk Richards spread joint compound around an electrical outlet in a mini makeshift room to fill in the hole between the Sheetrock and a plug.

The 17-year-old and other students at Jay High School are learning the basics of home repairs this semester.

First, they build the walls, then they do the electrical outlets and switches and then test the circuit, teacher Dan Lemieux said.

Then they have to put up all the Sheetrock and apply the joint compound.

Another stage is installing hardwood or ceramic tiles, he said.

They will also learn some basic plumbing by the time they’re done.

“We’re trying to give them, as much as possible, a hands-on experience in a real world experience,” Lemieux said.

Richards said he has taken the class before but never done the “mudding” in school, but has done some work at home.

Cassie Beliveau, 14, laid out a piece of hardwood flooring in her space.

Lemieux joked that Beliveau hadn’t valued measurement before his class and now she does.

“I didn’t,” Beliveau agreed, as she continued to space the wood away from the wall and then used a drill to make a hole and a screw gun and screw to attach the wood to the floor.

Though home repairs are good to know, she said, she has other dreams after high school. “I want to be a vet,” she said.

Next to her, Shauni Flagg, 15, removed all the lumps of compound from the floor and swept her space.

She chose to put a ceramic floor down and was laying out a checkered-pattern of blue tiles and a light grayish one with tiny speckles.

“It’s good to know for when I’m older. I can save money on building stuff and on basic home repairs,” Flagg said.

Jordan D. Couture and Jordan P. Couture, both 15 and of Jay but not related, worked on different spaces side-by-side. Jordan D. was installing hardwood flooring and Jordan P. was putting in his last piece of ceramic tile.

“When I get older I’m going to have a house. Just seeing what my dad does around the house and stuff like this will definitely help me,” Jordan D. said.

As they continued their work, Lemieux stepped outside to where four sheds, which are already sold, had been built.

They were built by students in his residential construction technology class. The students had designed the plans, estimated the cost and learned to build and roof the sheds.

That course won’t be offered next year, he said, because only five students signed up, but he plans to try to incorporate aspects of the the construction class, including roofing, with basic home repairs, he said.

Some of his students are learning entrepreneurship to run their own business, while others are doing metal work or learning computer robotics.

What they’re learning here, Lemieux said, will come in handy and save them some money on home repairs and could possibly lead to a career in construction or other fields.