Program Name: "Habitat House" Project
Nominator's Name: Wilbur J. Kistler, Jr.
Nominator's Telephone Number: (609) 465-2161 Ext. 605
Title: Superintendent
List of Community Partners: Cape May County Habitat for Humanity, Lower Regional School District, Wildwood School District, Special Services School District
The nominated school system is: High School, Vocational-Technical
Organization: Cape May County Technical School District
District: Cape May County Technical School District
Address: 188 Crest Haven Road
City/State/Zip: Cape May Court House, NJ 08210
District Superintendent: Wilbur J. Kistler, Jr.
District Telephone Number: (609) 465-2161 Ext. 605
Date of Program Initiation: September 1994

Area 1: Goals:

The goal of the Habitat House project is to involve students from three schools with a community based organization where they will learn while serving Habitat for Humanity. Students will build a house and donate it to Habitat for Humanity who will in turn find a needy family to occupy the house. This project correlates directly to the technical school's curriculum and addresses all cross-content workplace readiness standards which are part of the Core Curriculum Content Standards. Parts of the project have been utilized in the academic classes to meet the Core Curriculum Standards.

This project utilizes many Core Curriculum Standards in the following ways:

• Students demonstrated the ability to solve mathematical problems and to relate how math plays an important part in the construction of the house by calculating the pitch of the roof based on the height requirement of the house movers, ordering supplies and figuring out the needed size of the heater based on the volume of the house.
• Students developed the ability to read the symbols related to Architectural plans.
• Students become self reliant in mathematical thinking by the repetition of cutting and figuring related framing, running wire, and piping.
• The goal of the Habitat House project is to involve students from three schools with a community based organization where they will learn while serving
• Students utilize calculators in ordering supplies, figuring volume of the house, calculating pitch, amperage, voltage.
• Students apply their knowledge of geometric properties when squaring a house, calculating pitch, framing a wall, and running piping.
• Students develop an understanding of estimation when they learn how to order supplies for the construction of a house and how they would bid a job if they were hired as a contractor.
• Students develop an understanding of patterns and relationships and functions when installing roofing materials, laying block, hanging vinyl siding, and wiring and electrical box.
• Students have developed the ability to speak to a variety of audiences who visit the site to learn about the project
• Students developed the ability to compose text and use nontextual visual information for the video that was broadcasted over cable television.

The construction part of the project relates to all five areas of the cross-content workplace readiness standards in the following ways:

• All students involved in the program develop workplace readiness skills by actually performing the skills on the house. The Carpentry class acquires the necessary skills to build a house. The Heating/Cooling/Plumbing class acquire the skills needed to become a plumber and/or electrician. The Communication class learns how to take live footage and transform the footage into a documentary.
• All students involved in the project use technology related to the field, information from teachers and research, and use the tools of the trade to complete the house. Students have incorporated new technological advances in house construction by incorporating one wall of steel studs and laminated beams.
• All students apply critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving in the planning of the house, construction of the house, and in their class work. Students were able to solve various problems that occurred on the job, for example the tool shed needed to be moved so the students used telephone poles, jacks and a com-a-long to move the shed.
• All students demonstrate self management skills in their daily work on the project. The students are responsible for working on certain steps by their self and making sure the project is on schedule. All students apply safety principles in operating tools and in working in various positions through the construction of the house.

Area 2: Activities:

The activities of the project include the coordination between the schools, businesses, local government, and Habitat for Humanity. In the beginning of the project, all concerned individuals met to go over the project. Representatives from Habitat for Humanity came to our school and talked to the students about the organization. The students then began the process of undertaking this project. The Architecture students from Lower Regional School District revised the plans that were donated by a local builder to meet the needs of Habitat for Humanity, local code, and the house movers. Since the house would be moved it had to fit certain height, length and width requirements. The Carpentry and Heating/Cooling/Plumbing/Electricity students from Cape May County Technical School District (CMCTSD) worked on ordering the supplies, obtaining the permits, and learning the necessary skills to build a house. Building Trades and Building Maintenance Classes from CMCTSD worked on ordering the supplies for the foundation and learning the necessary skills to put in a foundation. The foundation was then put in and all four classes worked on constructing the house. The two- bedroom house was completed and moved to its sight October 1996.

While all the building was going on, the Honor students from Wildwood School District and CMCTSD students had two spaghetti dinner fund raisers. Adult volunteers worked on getting extra supplies donated. Students attended service-learning fairs. The project was selected to represent the state of New Jersey at the Service-I.earning fair in Washington, DC.. The Architect students started the second set of plans for a three- bedroom house. The Exploratory class from CMCTSD painted a sign to be placed in front of the construction to show the partnership and designed T-shirts for the student and adult volunteers.

Since the conception of the project the Special Services School District (SSSD) has joined the project. The English students from SSSD are working on brochures and writing letters to entice local builders to donate extra building supplies to Habitat for Humanity and obtaining donations from companies. The History students from SSSD are working on the history of where the Habitat Houses are located. Parents from CMCTSD have volunteered to help with donations and technical services. Building Inspectors have waved the costs for the permits and have come in to talk to the students. The CMCTSD is now in the process of constructing a three-bedroom house.

In total there have been over 2, 401 student hours and 784 adult hours spent on the project. Students have been involved in fund raising, construction, and building blitzes. Adult volunteers have come from schools, parent organizations, community organizations, corporations, and business.

Area 3: Resources:

Financial resources have come from the Learn and Serve grant from the Department of Education, fund raisers by the students, and from the Best Practices Award for Public engagement. In-kind support has come from the schools skilled teachers teaching while constructing the house, donations of supplies, donation of skilled labor from local contractors, monetary donations, donation of lots from the local municipalities and people, and donated services from representatives from Habitat for Humanity.

Area 4: Evaluation:

The evaluation of the project has been very positive. The school passed its monitor visit for the first and second year of the Learn and Serve grant. The project was awarded the best practices award for public engagement and was selected the model service-learning project for the State of New Jersey. The project has been duplicated in three other technical schools throughout the state. The school has received positive publicity about the program.

Over the last two years, community involvement in the school has increased. In the beginning there was one service-learning project. Now there are nine service-learning projects that have been incorporated into the curriculum. Student enrollment in these programs have increased. Community awareness of the program has increased by the use of positive publicity, student involvement and adult participation. The pre and post survey given to the students after the speaker from Habitat showed that the students learned about the organization and students volunteering time increased to not only school hours but on the weekends.

Area 5: Stability:

• The state has renewed the program for the third year.
• The size of the house has increased from a two-bedroom house to a three-bedroom house.
• The coordinator of the project has remained the same since the conception of the project.
• Members of Habitat for Humanity are on the school's advisory.
• The program has been implemented at other schools in the state.

Area 6: Endorsements:

An endorsement came from William Waldman, Commissioner in a letter to Dr. William H. Adams, Chairperson of the New Jersey Council on Vocational Education on how to develop innovative service- learning programs between the community and the school. Melanie Copty, Treasurer of Habitat for Humanity has been with the project since the conception of the program. She states that "the project has allowed Habitat to increase the number of houses produced in the county, increased teen volunteerism and enthusiasm throughout the county, and has helped us to do more with the same budget." Carla Plomchok, Grant Coordinator of Cape May County Technical School and Program Coordinator states that "I believe that any school in the state, county, and nation can build a house that can be donated to Habitat for Humanity." She also states that "if you plan to build, the supplies will come." The project was her idea and she presented the idea to Melanie Copty. Carla Plomchok has presented the project at seminars, service-learning fairs, cable television, and technical meetings.