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LCC students have been a big help to Community Center project

LAUREL — What started out as a conversation between a mother and her son has turned into an amazing opportunity for some Laurel area students.

In the fall of 2019, Laurel-Concord-Coleridge instructor, Pat Harrington had a conversation with his mother about her work with the Laurel Community Center Committee.

The group was embarking on an ambitious goal to raise nearly $4 million for the planning and construction of a state-of-the-art facility to hold events, community gathering spaces, civic offices and a Senior Center. It would be the cherry on top of Laurel’s $2.5 million Downtown Revitalization Project, set to be completed in 2021.

The more they spoke, the more Harrington’s mind wandered to thoughts of his students, specifically those in his Drafting and Design Class at Laurel-Concord-Coleridge School.

He recognized the new Laurel Community Center represented an extraordinary opportunity to engage his students in a relatable, real-life experience while applying what they were learning in the classroom.

With the support of LCC administration and guidance from the Laurel Community Center Committee, Harrington stood before his class and delivered their next assignment: design Laurel’s new community center.

Harrington said the assignment offered a unique opportunity to show his students the many differences between building in a commercial setting versus residential. It would also challenge them to imagine and design spaces they weren’t used to seeing every day.

“I thought it would be a fun and unique approach to design a commercial building. Designing an event area, a grand entry, commercial kitchens, and public restrooms are much different than what you would find in a house,” he said.

The students used computer software to bring their designs to life. First, they received a list of specific

First, they received a list of specific items that needed to be included in the building design. They were then told to add features and amenities that they felt would benefit the community and facility in the long run.

“Some of the students used personal experiences at other event centers or their jobs to envision what would make the space as functional as possible,” said Harrington.

Throughout the process, Harrington was surprised to see how differently each student approached putting the structure together.

“Some built and populated whole areas before adding in the others. Others tried to get to the total square footage of the building and then made the pieces fit in that space after,” he said. “None of them really had designs that could be considered copies of each other, but rather, each one of them had distinct elements.” Harrington admits this was a bigger

Harrington admits this was a bigger project than he typically would give to an introductory level class, but his students rose to the challenge.

“I just felt the opportunity would be so beneficial to my students. The students would actually see this facility built in the near future. They could possibly have some input. That was something we just couldn’t pass up.”

Members of the Laurel Community Center Committee knew they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn more about the students’ dreams for the space and invited them to present their design concepts in person in October of 2019.

According to Community Center Committee member Craig Gutz, the level of detail and professionalism displayed by the students was particularly impressive.

“Each of the students came in with their own ideas, while still working within the needs of the committee and community. They were able to make modifications along the way in the software for different views that made it easier to actually envision what the designs would look like in real-life.”

High School Principal Ken Swanson was also impressed by the student presentations. “The students did an excellent job

“The students did an excellent job of putting together and refining their design concepts. We couldn’t be prouder of Mr. Harrington and his students. We look forward to seeing how the project continues to develop,” he said.

But no one was prouder of the students than Harrington himself.

“I felt like they gave the committee a lot to look at and think about. The students really gravitated toward this project and really jumped into it, largely because of the real-life feel of working with someone else’s needs in mind. Overall, we’re extremely grateful that the Laurel Community Center Committee welcomed student input and considered us to help with the project,” he said.

The students really appreciated the opportunity and learned a great deal from the experience.

“This project was amazing and taught me a lot. It allowed me to be my creative self,” said Cody Martin.

Amanda Rogers agreed.

“Mr. Harrington gave us full control of the project and that’s why all of us had such different thoughts and ideas, some of which I would have never thought of. Toward the end of the project, we all put our heads together to come up with what we felt was the best outcome. I’m proud to say I was able to be a part of this and help. I’m excited to see what comes of it and am hoping for the best.”

Laurel-Concord-Coleridge Superintendent, Jeremy Christiansen, expressed his support for student involvement in the Laurel Community Center Project. “It’s exciting that Mr. Harrington and his students have engaged in a project that provides for meaningful application and practice of the knowledge and skills that students are developing. LCC is committed to seeking and developing community partnership opportunities, such as this project, that promote and develop life-long values of service to community and civic engagement. The opportunity for these LCC students to partner with this project ultimately helped them to develop and expand their understanding of and capacity for active participation in our community.”

“This kind of collaboration is very unique and something your community should be very proud of,” said Jan Merrill, Northeast Nebraska Economic Development Community Planner. “I’m excited to see the positive outcome that the new Community Center will have on the Laurel community and its future.”

The Laurel Community Center Committee members agree that the students’ ideas added tremendous value to the project. They plan to share many of these ideas with the architecture firm that the City of Laurel ultimately selects to design the new Center.

An account for planning and construction of the Laurel Community Center has been established through the Laurel Area Community Foundation Fund, an affiliated fund of Nebraska Community Foundation. You may support this important work online at

www.nebcommfound.org/give/laurel-area-community-foundation-fund (select “Community Center Account” from the drop down menu) or by contacting the Laurel Economic Development Office at (402) 256-9614.

Pat Harrington is a graduate of Laurel-Concord School (2007) and Midland University (2011).

He received a Skilled and Technology Sciences endorsement from University of Nebraska Lincoln/Southeast Community College in 2013. Mr. Harrington previously taught at Raymond Central from 2013 to 2019 and just completed his first year of teaching at Laurel-Concord-Coleridge School. Pat and his wife, Jenna, along with their son Cade, reside in Laurel. He is the son of Karen Harrington, and the late Larry Harrington.

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