Arnulfo Martinez is an instructor at Forest Grove High School who teaches students how to make high-end cabinets in the shop at the school.

For half a century, the Viking House program at Forest Grove High School has been hammering home real-world skills and giving students hands-on experience in construction while they build houses — and their futures.

But as new structures have gone up over the past 50 years, the Forest Grove School District is in search of plots to continue a tradition of exposing students to industry-level work while providing residents new places to call home.

To keep the program going, the district is calling on the community to help secure one to three ready-to-build lots near the high school, where students can take their classroom lessons into the field and add homes to the market.

Building futures

Since the first Viking House was completed in 1975, students have built a new home or facility project each year, embracing the program’s motto: “Learn by doing.”

Chris Higginbotham, who has taught the program for nearly 30 years, said students take on all aspects of carpentry, from installing siding and hardwood floors to cabinetry and trim work.

“The class is yearlong, and it’s about a three-hour period every other school day, which isn’t enough time. We work a lot, and we’ve been out here several Saturdays,” Higginbotham said. “One of the lessons is to do whatever it takes to get the job done.”

The homes built through the program are more than just places to live for locals — they’re top-tier structures, earning recognition in industry competitions against professionally built homes.

Designed for mobility and accessibility, the single-story, three-bedroom, two-bath houses are built with wider hallways, energy-efficient ductwork placement and staggered wall studs to minimize heat loss and outside noise.

“We’re known for our high quality,” Higginbotham said. “A lot of the best parts of this house you can’t see — just the way we frame it and the materials we use. A builder would love and appreciate these homes, but the average person doesn’t see all those details. But they’re built very solidly.”

Skills for life

This year, 18 senior students are participating in the program, but hundreds have taken part and gained valuable skills to keep in their tool box over the years.

Before stepping on the job site, students take prerequisite courses, including two woodshop classes, architecture and an introductory construction course that primes them with necessary skills for a full-blown house project.

“At the very least, it’s going to give them some lifelong skills to maintain their own home,” Higginbotham said.

For some, the program serves as a launchpad for a career in construction. Aydan Hundley, a senior currently working on the Viking House crew, plans to study construction management in college, building on what he has learned through the program.

“I think it’s an awesome experience, because it’s something that not many high schoolers are able to do,” Hundley said. “Being able to work with people who know what they’re doing and getting that experience is really, really important.”

Many former students have returned to the sites as professionals: The plumbers and electricians working on this year’s house all graduated from the program, and Higginbotham noted that one of the construction managers overseeing the development of the new Cornelius Elementary School was once building a Viking House.

Arnulfo Martinez, a 2001 graduate who was involved in the Viking House program, pursued a career in cabinetry before returning to mentor students and help continue the program’s legacy.

“I think they really enjoy the fact that this actually has meaning to it; it’s not just an assignment they get a good grade on,” Martinez said. “It actually goes somewhere; it’s part of the community. It’s somebody’s home.”

What’s next on project schedule?

The homes built through the program are sold at market value and used to self-fund the program, with recent sales in the high $600,000 range.

Currently, the district has one more property available for the 2025-26 school year, but beyond that, future projects remain uncertain. According to the district, it could take two to three years to get a new property ready for development.

As for contingency plans, officials did not provide comment for what would become of the program or what future projects would entail if the district cannot procure new property.

An open house for the 2025 Viking House will be held in late May at 1236 Parkside Ave.