Senior uses skills on patio

Greenbrier High School senior Jordan Tejeda will leave a lasting impression at his school after he graduates.

//

He built a brick patio on the school grounds for his senior project.

"This wasn't my original plan. My original senior project was to build a room addition," Jordan said.

He said his English teacher, Amy Rinehart, asked him if he would build a brick patio at the school.

"I've always kind of wanted to know how to do that because I want to get into the renovation business after school," said Jordan, who used to renovate houses with his brother.

He started working on the project in October and finished it about three weeks ago.

"It didn't take long for the design. It probably took about two weeks to decide how I was going to do it. Then it took another two weeks to make the digital image of it with my dad," Jordan said.

It took him about two months to build the 60-foot-by 50-foot patio, which also includes a 20-foot sidewalk. He said the most difficult part of the job was leveling the ground.

"I had to shave off seven inches of land from the top, which was hard, because it was hard as a rock," he said.

Jordan used supervisory skills on the project when teacher Doug Knox asked his horticulture class to help the senior build the patio.

"It's bigger than the foundation of a lot of two-story houses," Knox said.

His students spent hours leveling the ground and installing layers of gravel and sand beneath the brick pavers while Jordan oversaw their work.

"Learning by doing is their motto," Knox said of his class. "That patio was definitely a hands-on operation."

He said the project also helped his students understand how much planning goes into that type of work.

Jordan did not yet know his grade on his project, but he has been asked to build a brick wall for a customer.

He said he hopes his senior project will lead to even more work.