Ball field becomes classroom

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Naugatuck High School students Sean Kennedy, left, and P.J. Murphy, fix the dugouts at Union City Little League with their classmates Monday. The school's construction class is donating class time to the project. –RA ARCHIVE
Naugatuck High School students Sean Kennedy, left, and P.J. Murphy, fix the dugouts at Union City Little League with their classmates Monday. The school’s construction class is donating class time to the project. –RA ARCHIVE

NAUGATUCK — Rooftops on baseball dugouts served as desks, and a baseball diamond acted as a classroom Monday for students in the construction class at Naugatuck High School.

Eight students in teacher George Macary’s class ripped tattered and splintered wooden rooftops off dugouts on both fields before replacing them with new wooden planks at Union City Little League on Morris Street.

“This takes the skills they learn in school and allows them to use them on real live projects,” Macary said.

Charley Marenghi, Macary’s colleague in the Naugatuck school system, asked Macary if his class would be willing to help fix the rundown rooftops.

Macary said several students were thrilled with the idea, in part, because they like working outdoors and because many feel a connection to youth baseball.

“A couple of kids played baseball here,” he said. “It’s another way of giving back to the community. I think when everything is all said and done, the students will be proud to say they took the time out of their day to give back to future generations.”

The students are working with hammers, nails, a nail gun, crowbars and an electric saw; they expected to finish this week. The materials they are using were donated by Brown Roofing and the wood was given at a discounted rate by Home Depot.

Macary said he wants to get students involved in other community service projects. For example, he said, when the school district moves its central office staff to the newly renovated high school next year, the borough will turn over the Tuttle Building to the Naugatuck Historical Society.

That move will require a lot of renovations to the Tuttle Building, and Macary said he would love for his students to be involved in that project.

Naugatuck High senior P.J. Murphy, whose mother happens to be president of the Naugatuck Historical Society, said he believes it is important for everyone to give back to the community in some way.

Junior Antoine Sistrunk said he enjoys the opportunity to work on a project outside the classroom that will benefit others.

Steven Hong, also a junior, said he appreciates the real-world learning experience.

“I don’t know if this is something I want to do for a career, but it’s good to know how to do it,” he said.