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| Killeen
Students Gain Hands-On Experience Through Construction Activity July 21, 2003 Sixth and seventh grade science students at Rancier Middle School in Killeen ISD designed and constructed concrete stepping-stones during a hands-on lesson taught in May by O'Connell Robertson team members, Robert Ogorzaly, AIA and Chris Narendorf.
Amy Birtchet, Pre-AP Science teacher at Rancier Middle School, hoped the partnership activity with O'Connell Robertson would make physics, engineering and environmental studies more real for her students. "I believe we accomplished Ms. Birtchet's goal," said O'Connell Robertson's Narendorf. "A key factor for such a task is to aid the learning process by introducing topics that relate to their existing environment. The lesson closely coincided with the concrete pour for a new classroom addition adjoining the east side of the school. Learning the properties of concrete and then observing the use of it in a construction project applies classroom science studies to real careers in the field." The Killeen Independent School District hired Austin-based O'Connell Robertson & Associates to provide architecture and engineering design for expansions at multiple campuses. Renovations and classroom additions are currently under construction at Rancier, Eastern Hills, Nolan, and Palo Alto Middle Schools. The projects are a significant component of the Killeen ISD $100 million bond issue passed February 2, 2002. O'Connell Robertson & Associates is an architecture/engineering firm with offices in Austin and San Antonio. Founded in 1950, the Firm has completed more than 1,000 projects throughout the State of Texas.
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The
Concrete as a Construction Material activity introduced a
common construction material to the students and gave them a hands-on
approach to learning about the physical properties of the material.
Concrete was chosen for the nature and availability of its key components:
water, cement, sand, and gravel (aggregate). Each student was given
a small circular form to create a concrete stepping-stone. Students
could use different shapes, colors, and textures for the designs
thus showing a range of the variations concrete allows. 
