[CentOS] logging items to the console using centos 5.1

I need to (occasionally) automatically drop out of X11 mode,
recompile something, and then reboot.

I can drop out of X11 with "init 3", works fine.
I use "chvt 1" to ensure I am on virtual terminal 1
My recompile and reboot also work.

The piece that doesnt work is:


make | tee $LOGFILE

I was expecting the output (stdout) to be virtual terminal 1.
My LOGFILE has all commands in it from my successful recompile but I 
dont see anything on virtual terminal 1.

How do I get the output of my make to show on the console and also in my 
logfile?

Thanks,

Jerry