LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- Students at David Thibodeaux STEM Magnet Academy are doing their part to make a difference in the community by helping Lafayette Habitat for Humanity build some brand new houses.

"We're kind of making it a yearly thing. Right around November we try to come back and spend a couple of days helping out," said Tod Hansen, a civil engineering and architecture teacher at David Thibodeaux.

He said the hands-on experience helps students learn in a much more effective way, versus staying in the classroom.

Working with Habitat for Humanity, students have played a role in constructing multiple homes that not only showed the value of hard work but also helped aspiring homeowners begin a new chapter.

Sarah Barbato, of Habitat for Humanity, said they are building six houses.

Students are involved in the painting, flooring, and construction process. News 10 caught up with a few students and their teacher to hear how insightful and rewarding the experience really is.

While some students have noted that they find it fun to build houses, for others the experience is inspiring their future career path.

"It gave me a different life perspective on my pathway that I wanted to go to school for," one student said.

Another student said they had already chosen this pathway as a career, but the projects with Habitat for Humanity gives them "more experience to see what it really is all about."

Hansen said students jumped right in and got to work on building the houses without complaining or arguing.

"They just did it. And they seem to be enjoying it and learning on the way. So anytime you can learn without being taught, I think I think it's better," Hansen said.

Latest News