Students in an agriculture math class helped design the container clinic and did more of the skilled jobs including laying out wiring and installing plumbing. Photo submitted by district
(MADISONVILLE, KY) – Madisonville North Hopkins High School senior Maddie Ziegler had never worked on a construction project before she became involved in one at her school.
Students at Madisonville North Hopkins High School (Hopkins County) are building a health clinic in a shipping container for a rural village in Liberia.
A project that brings together multiple areas of education, students are learning how to network with local businesses in addition to gaining technical skills such as installing plumbing and electrical equipment.
Through the project, Ziegler learned how to build wall panels, install insulation and she helped paint the clinic.
“I like learning (technical) skills because I don’t do any construction at home,” Ziegler said. “Getting to be a part of that was beneficial for me, to have that useful knowledge tucked away in my head.”
The project is led by Agriculture Teacher Brian Welch along with students in the school’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter. Welch is also the school’s FFA advisor.
Welch explained that he got the idea and funding for the container clinic through Harbor Freight Tools for Schools (HBTFS), which is a nonprofit that aims to increase support and investment in skilled trades education in U.S. public high schools.
Welch was an awardee of the nonprofit’s Prize for Teaching Excellence, which awards $1.5 million to 25 outstanding U.S. public high school skilled trades teachers and their programs. Prizewinners join a national network of skilled trades teachers who meet throughout the year.
During one of these meetings, Welch met a teacher who converts shipping containers into classrooms that teach skilled trades for students in Honduras. Welch wanted to start a similar project at his school.
Welch got the idea for the medical clinic from a similar project by Texas A&M University, and they ended up basing their design on those container clinics.
HBTFS provided an initial grant of $10,000 for building the clinic. Welch then connected with the nonprofit Supplies Over Seas in Louisville, now called SOS International. The nonprofit gathers and donates medical supplies for areas in need. They provided some additional funding.
FFA students at Madisonville North Hopkins High School also helped elicit other grants, funding and supply donations.
Welch said that in addition to learning business skills, students get to learn technical skills that align with the agriculture and career and technical education (CTE) classes that he teaches.
“It fits within my pathway that I teach; it’s also something meaningful and valuable, and it truly lets kids get a taste of change in the world,” Welch said.
Students started building the clinic in February, and it is the second container clinic that students at the school have built. Last school year, students worked on the first clinic from February until June 2024 and it was shipped to Liberia in September. It sits in the middle of a rural village where patients would otherwise travel two hours to receive medical care.
SOS International donated all the medical supplies and they keep in contact with Liberia representatives to keep the clinic stocked. Welch explained that initially, they built the first clinic mainly for vaccinations. But later on, SOS International representatives said to them that it would be used for more things like emergency deliveries.
The village in Liberia where the second clinic will go has no access to running water or electricity. However, Welch is working to secure a generator and is working with their local rotary club to raise money to build a well next to the clinic.
“We want to give kids the opportunity to feel like they’ve given back in a meaningful way,” Welch said. “This is them getting that taste of truly changing lives of people across the ocean.”
Student Roles
The FFA group named the project the Freight Box Challenge because they wanted to challenge as many students as possible to get involved. A total of 427 students worked on last year’s clinic.
Madison North Hopkins High School student Gabe Dustin shows another student how to make a correct cut using a miter saw. Photo submitted by district
Welch taught agriculture students and FFA students the skills needed to work on the project, such as framing walls, plumbing and setting up electricity. Then those students taught students in other classes to do the same.
Madisonville North Hopkins High School sophomore Westyn Miles, who is part of FFA, already had construction knowledge before helping with the project. He said he enjoyed teaching other students who didn’t have that same knowledge.
“Some of these kids had never even touched a drill in their life, so they learned how to pass panels together, they learned how to make proper wood cuts measurements and they learned how to sand and paint,” Miles said. “I’ve used a lot of hands-on skills throughout my life and being able to connect with people that may not have those skills, and learning some new ones myself, was a really fruitful process.”
Miles said he also enjoyed helping make a difference for people halfway around the world.
“I’m helping on a worldwide scale now, not just local, not just state,” Miles said. “I can actually use my construction abilities to help people that I may never meet.”
Welch invites different classes and clubs to work on the clinic whenever it fits their schedules.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes painted Bible verses on the walls of the first clinic. At the school, a health science class helped prime walls, an English class helped wire electrical components and a science class helped put in a window.
Welch said some teachers can also tie in their curriculum to something related to the project. One chemistry teacher taught a lesson on how to make Liberian milk candy and students learned about the chemical reactions of different ingredients.
Students also applied for grants and asked for supply donations from local businesses. Welch said one student applied for an FFA grant and ended up being awarded $1,200 for the project.
Ziegler, who is involved in FFA, made a call to Lowe’s to ask if they could donate paint, which they did. She talked to other local businesses about medical supply donations and helped them understand the project’s goals.
William Blake, a junior involved in FFA, worked with their local Rural King, a farm supply company, for the donation of railroad ties. The shipping container needs to sit on railroad ties to protect the bottom from corrosion while students work on it.
While Blake also helped on the construction side of the project, he enjoyed getting to learn more of the business side.
“It’s not only helped the people in Liberia and benefited our community, but it’s benefited us on a business level,” Blake said.
Spreading news of the project
Students got to represent the container clinic project on national platforms. Blake entered the project in a competition at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. He spoke to all kinds of people about the project, and the project ended up winning third place in the building community category.
Blake and Miles also attended the national American Farm Bureau Convention in San Antonio. Miles said it was a great way to spread news of the project, since no other FFA chapter in the nation is building a container clinic.
“The biggest part of the Farm Bureau convention was connecting with other people and especially other people involved with the FFA,” Miles said. “We had local Farm Bureau representatives that are very closely connected to local FFAs stop by and hear word of our project and they started somewhat of a planning process for how they could implement similar things into their chapter.”
Ziegler went to the Kentucky Farm Bureau Convention and talked to people about the project, which she said was a good opportunity for her to network.
“It helped with my interactive skills, but what resonated the most with me was being part of such a big project and getting to help people so far away from me,” Ziegler said.
Madisonville North Hopkins High School student Maggie Killough shows Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher where to place a nail using a nail gun. Photo submitted by district
Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher visited the school in March to learn about the container clinic. He said the project aligns perfectly with the Kentucky Department of Education’s United We Learn vision for education, which encourages innovation in schools, vibrant learning experiences and community collaboration.
“These students are engaging in vibrant learning through hands-on, project-based experiences that connect directly to standards across the curriculum,” Fletcher said. “I am so proud of our students and teachers for their innovation and creativity, for bringing so many people together, and for building meaningful partnerships with local businesses and the broader community. The Freight Box Challenge truly embodies the Kentucky United We Learn vision by fostering vibrant learning, encouraging innovation, and strengthening collaboration across our schools and communities.”
Welch said this year they are doing better documentation to make a website that will have information and logistics for other schools to start their own container clinic projects.
The website will include the exact blueprint of the clinic and how to build it. Anyone who has questions can email Welch.
Leave A Comment