Students Build Homes for Needy Families

May 17, 2011

Students in the Eagle Nest Construction Academy work on the foundation of a home which will house a low-income family next year.

On a sandy lot in the small, growing city of Delray Beach, Florida, seven teenagers are hammering and shoveling in the hot mid-day sun. The Atlantic High students are members of the school’s Eagle Nest Construction Academy, which builds houses for low-income families on land donated by the city.

The program is open to boys and girls in the 9th through 12th grades. They study drafting, design and construction, then use those skills to build the homes.

“They learn A to Z, then pick which they like better, then specialize in that," says Amanda Orndorff, who coordinates the program. "If they like the drafting side, they focus on that. If they like the actual building, they can focus on that.”

Student Daniel Norzea (right) and instructor Tim Sachse work together at the construction site.

After learning the basics of safety and the fundamentals of design and building from instructor Tim Sachse, students interested in construction move with him to the work site.

“The way the program works is a stepping stone process," says Sachse, an engineer. "Construction isn’t just about hammering things together. It deals with lots of problem solving along the way and that’s probably one of those things that cannot be written in a textbook.”