Students pitch in to build homes

Warren County High School students from different organizations, including JROTC cadets, cheerleaders and basketball team players, joined forces Saturday to benefit Habitat for Humanity.

The group of 100 strong swarmed Mt. Leo in the area of Bridge Street beginning at 7 a.m. and donated eight hours of their time to making the dreams of two local families come true.

The group worked on to two neighboring houses after being divided up into smaller groups and given assignments for the day. Construction plans for the day included painting, trim, hurricane ties and placing vinyl siding.

?I?m just so glad to have these kids involved,? said Habitat secretary and longtime member Kay Ramsey. ?I didn?t expect so many. It?s good they are willing to give up a Saturday to help someone.?

Among the teens giving up eight hours was Cadet Major Kayla Holt, a junior at WCHS and a member of JROTC.

?It feels good to get out and help others,? said Holt. ?We get to learn firsthand about service learning. It also feels good to interact with members of other clubs and activities. We are more involved than we were last year.?

According to 1st Sgt. Tim Howard, service learning is on the curriculum for the cadets and added, ?We want to teach them about service to others before themselves. Getting out in the community and helping others is good for them.?

While helping two local families, the group also had a chance to learn about each other.

?We never get together,? said Caitlin McClain, a varsity cheerleader. ?We do with the basketball team but never cadets. When I asked the cadets if ROTC was fun they said it was.?

The homes are scheduled for completion by the end of June. The dedication is planned for June 24.