As part of their woodshop class – some eighth-grade students at Nicolas Junior High School in Fullerton are building a tiny home that will eventually benefit a homeless family in their school district.
KNX reporter Margaret Carrero spoke with the class, and one student, Marina Damitio told her, "We already practiced on a shed outside on the construction site, and just being able to do that was truly amazing, and the fact that we get to build a whole home is awesome."
Another student, Edwin Ramirez, says he's excited to work on the tiny house too. "I feel like this project is going to have a bigger impact on the community than a lot of us think it is," He said.
Woodshop teacher Mucio Vidales said he's hoping the process will show the students the value of working as a team and the potential of a career in construction - but most of all, Vidales says, "I really enjoy seeing the pride that they have in building this home for somebody else."
Jeremy Davis with the Fullerton School District said, "Our goal is to help transition a family from being homeless into a place where five months down the road, they've saved up enough that they can then transition into permanent housing, and another family could come in."
The 192-square-foot home will be built on an 8X24 trailer to fit a queen-sized loft bed, one pull-out smaller bed, a full bathroom, a kitchenette, and a small desk area. Davis says it will likely house a mother and a few young children in need, with the goal of a ribbon-cutting sometime in May.
Thanks to some grant money and a bit of mentoring from a few engineers and construction experts, the build promises to be a beneficial undertaking for the kids and the community.
Taking the experience a step further, another group of students is working on a documentary about how the tiny home came to be.
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