Thanks to the budding electricians at the Westbrook Regional Vocational Center, the once “dark and shadowed” Westbrook High School gymnasium is now as bright as a cloudless summer’s day.
The Westbrook Vocational Center students spent about three hours installing new light fixtures into the gym last Thursday morning. Using lifts and working about 25 feet in the air, the students replaced all the fixtures, including all the wiring and installing the supports for the fixtures.
The results are dramatic. The lights are so bright it’s difficult to stare up at them for any length of time.
Westbrook High School Athletic Director Todd Sampson said he used to receive complaints from basketball coaches from other schools that the gym was “dark and shadowed” during basketball games.
The latest technology, the new light fixtures provide an estimated three times more light than the old fixtures, while using about half the energy, according to the school.
“It was a win-win situation for Westbrook,” said Sampson. “It updates our facility and saves us money. It’s great.”
It was also a learning experience for the students and a steal for the Westbrook School Department, which saved about $4,000 in installation and equipment costs by having the students instead of a contractor install the new fixtures, said David Moon, the students’ instructor. The school also received a good price on the fixtures from Portland-based Gilman Electric Supply.
The students have done previous commercial work outside the school for nonprofit organizations, such as other schools and the Rotary Club, which builds a new home every year in Westbrook that the vocational center students wire for electricity. But this was the first time they had used lifts and worked so high.
“We were on the lifts, so you had to be careful working up there,” said Bonny Eagle junior Ryan Spaulding. “It was pretty easy. You were just so high in the air.”
Despite the height, Bonny Eagle senior Amber Libby said she’d rather work on the lifts than work on a ladder under a low ceiling, like many of the other jobs the class has done.
And as far as the quality of the installation went, Moon said it was flawless. The class installed 28 new fixtures in a relatively short amount of time, and every single light worked when he finally turned on the power.
“Because we planned it out perfect the day before,” said Windham senior Greg Barr.
As for payment, although the students weren’t paid like regular contractors, they did receive some form of compensation.
“Paid in pizza,” said Westbrook senior Levi Levesque.
Jory Reisted and Shiquan James install one of 28 new light fixtures at the Westbrook High School gymnasium last Thursday morning. The Westbrook Regional Vocational Center students Send questions/comments to the editors.
