Students work with Habitat for Humanity to build homes

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The organization Habitat for Humanity of Dane County is finishing the last of 12 homes, completing the project with the help of students from the Sun Prairie High School.

For the past four years, a project in the Vandenburg Heights neighborhood has led to a dozen homes being built, providing affordable housing through Habitat for Humanity. Over the past three years, students from the Sun Prairie High School have helped build three homes.

Each year, roughly a dozen students join the project site, learning valuable skills while helping crews complete the homes in the neighborhood.

The real-world opportunity to have a hands-on building experience teaches students how to fix several things around the home, from building a cabinet to fixing the floor trim. It is also a rewarding way to help people who need a home.

Over the last year, the project has been one of the few parts of the student’s education that is in-person and consistent during a chaotic school year.

The pilot program has been so successful that Habitat for Humanity is now working with other high schools to start similar programs. For the organization, it is a way to help educate students and is also a crucial way to receive more volunteer help building homes.

The project concludes Tuesday with a celebratory event at 4:30 p.m.

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