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CMR and GFHS Break Ground on House Building Projects

By KFBB News Team

Story Created: Sep 7, 2010 at 5:23 PM MST

Story Updated: Sep 8, 2010 at 12:20 PM MST

As school kicks off so does one annual high school tradition. Students and CMR and Great Falls High broke ground today on the homes they will build during the school year.

This is the 14th year the high schools have partnered with NeighborWorks and other local groups to build the houses. At the end of the year long project, the houses will be sold to income qualified families.

Bruce Barta who teaches the class at Great Falls High School says getting students out of the classroom helps the learning process. “They do a lot of everyday things that they do every day in the classroom, but they get to apply it in a real application,” he says. Hands on learners like CMR Junior Craig Buford benefit from the class. “This is a good opportunity to get out and learn some new skills and help the community,” he says.

Organizers with NeighborWorks look beyond the classroom and hope the students understand how this impacts the city. “I think that the students take away more than the skills more than what they’ve learned they’re making a huge contribution to our community, this neighborhood will be different because of this house,” Executive Director Sheila Rice.

A Great Falls High School Senior decided to take the class for a second time because of how it benefits the community. “The payoff is extraordinary, you get quite the great feeling with it,” Colton Scharberg says.

The students work with NeighborWorks, but end up building a lot of the house. “We start with the ground breaking and we start with excavation and we do the concrete, we start the footing, we pour the footing, we pour the foundation and we continue all the way through the entire process until we finally put the flowers on the deck at the end,” Barta says. Rice adds, “Students will build this house from dirt to doorknobs except for the skill trades like electricity and plumbing.”

Students learn if construction is something they want to pursue. “Students, often times, realize if they can have a career in construction and other times they realize they don’t want a career in construction,” Rice says.

The Great Falls High School Senior says it's all worth it when they hand over the keys. “My favorite part is probably, cutting the ribbon at the end. Showing it to the family, it’s great,” Scharberg says.

These are the 26th and 27th houses the high schools have built. They are expected to be complete by the end of the school year.

To be considered to purchase one of the homes, buyers must complete homebuyer education classes and qualify for a first mortgage from the lender. Buyers’ annual income must fall below 80% of area median income for Cascade County. To find out more about how you can purchase a new NWGF home, call NeighborWorks at 761-5861.

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