Article and Photos by Linda Charlton
Students from South Lake High School are working with Habitat For Humanity of Lake-Sumter to help launch a new Habitat for Humanity home in Mascotte.
Monday was a big day for the local Habitat for Humanity, as well as for some future homeowners and a group of students at South Lake High School. Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter started its program of partnering with high school construction students two years ago with The Villages Charter High School. Last year they added Leesburg High to the program, and this year they have added the Construction Academy of South Lake High School. The Villages school, located in Sumter County, started its home-building project in August. But Monday was the start day for students in Lake County. Eight students were accepted to the construction team in south Lake — six boys and two girls — and most of them were on hand in Mascotte for their first day on the job site. The plan is that students will spend three days a week at the job site, and two days in the classroom.
Speaking of the Habitat project, student Ernesto Leal (senior) said “It’s humbling. It’s a great feeling knowing we’re going to build a home for someone who’s going to live in it, call it a home.”
Speaking of the construction academy in general, student Elizabeth Singh (sophomore) said “I really like to get my hands dirty. I like to work with my hands.” Fellow student Hayley Kintner (junior) said “I really enjoy creating.”
The future homeowners are Mark and Mindy Owen. Both will be contributing their own sweat-equity to the project. The two are excited about their future home and pumped over the student involvement. As Mark Owen says, “I think that will be ideal, because you’re going to have an instructor looking over everybody’s shoulders, and it’s a wonderful chance for the students to learn.”
There has been a construction academy at South Lake for well over 20 years. The program was revitalized last year through a workforce grant. Program head Jared Fullerton is himself a graduate of South Lake, where he was a construction student. Fullerton says he was 18 when he took part in building his first home.
Habitat has plans to build a total of four homes in that one block on Thomas Street in Mascotte, one house a year, in cooperation with the advanced construction students of South Lake High. As school district representative Lynnea Weisman pointed out, the students not only learn their crafts, they develop mentoring relationships with persons in the industry and, in many cases, they gain employment.
