INC NEWS - Southern High School Birdhouse kits and project!

[risafoster at aol.com]

Please see the article below.  Then call Mr. Bryson (head of the 
Construction and Architectural Design Academy at Southern High School, 
at 560-3968, ext. 68275) and arrange to purchase one of the birdhouses. 
  What a great thing the high school kids are doing and I hope we can 
help support them.  Sue and I purchased a couple of them and we 
understand he has a lot still to sell and they could use our support, 
encouragement and well, sales.

risa

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By Carolyn Rickard, The Herald-Sun, Durham, N.C.

Nov. 6--DURHAM -- They may look like just piles of boards wrapped in 
plastic.
But when each package gets into the hands of a child, the 250 kits will 
be transformed into birdhouses -- miniature Habitat for Humanity 
residences, if you will.

Made by some 40 students in Southern High School's Construction and 
Architectural Design Academy, many of the houses will be sold to raise 
money for Habitat's Youth United program. Others will be given to 
Habitat for younger volunteers to assemble while their older 
counterparts work on actual houses.

"Each kit has 16 different holes we had to drill on the drill press," 
said Southern senior Byron Boisvert. "We sanded. We cut pieces. It's 
just great doing something to help others."

Through Habitat's Youth United program, some 25 local schools and youth 
organizations have been working to raise $50,000 to build a house in 
2008 for the Serrano-Otero family. Some of the profits from selling the 
birdhouses will go toward a commitment Southern made to raise $5,000 
for the project.

Civic service isn't new to students in the construction program. Last 
year they built 100 birdhouses, and constructed custom-made cabinets 
installed in a home Youth United built. The students frequently have 
built sign frames for county departments and instructional materials 
needed for other Southern classes.

"The students really buy into the service work," said Don Ramsey, a 
construction teacher at Southern. "And if the kids buy into it, they 
work really hard."

On a recent Friday in Southern's workshop, the packaged kits sat 
stacked on a table as the smell of sawdust filled the air.

Senior Brendan Sheridan said he was skeptical at first upon learning 
he'd be helping to put together so many kits.

"But then I thought, if I can help somebody, I might as well," he said. 
"It's a good project."

Senior Andre Sanders felt the same way.

"I am a fan of carpentry and construction, so this is a great class," 
he said. "To me, being a part of carpentry and helping people is fun in 
itself."

---

Want to help?

To purchase a birdhouse kit for $20, call Don Bryson, head of the 
Construction and Architectural Design Academy at Southern High School, 
at 560-3968, ext. 68275.
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