KALISPELL — Throughout the school year, students from Glacier, Flathead and Linderman Education Center have transformed a pile of dirt into a finished home, thanks to the Kalispell Public Schools Student Built Homes Program.
The new 3-bedroom, 2-bath, 1,800-square-foot home in Kalispell on Northridge Drive is on the market.
Under the guidance of teachers and industry professionals, Kalispell students have been building a real-world home this school year, learning every phase of residential construction.
"It's a really cool program and we do a majority of the work, and we will have our specialties come in, the electricians and HVAC and we will sub out shingles and stuff like that,” said Glacier High School Senior Manny Barone.
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Barone was one of about a dozen students working on the project, learning valuable construction skills he can use after graduation.
“I'm looking at it where if I ever need to do something or if I ever need to go fix something or even just the fact of maintaining my own home, I can do it properly and I can get it done the right way and just always have an extra card in the back pocket," Barone said.
Glacier High School senior Josey Mcilhargey said he loved working on framing and landscaping for the new home.
"Oh, I love it, I really enjoy it, that's what I'm going to do when I graduate, start my own construction business. I just loved it here, especially Mr. Smith is a very good teacher and I learned a lot from him," Mcilhargey said.
Funds from the sale of the home will go directly toward building next year's home.
Program teacher Steve Smith said it is amazing to see the progress the students make throughout the school year.
"From seeing day one to now, it's night and day they have changed so much," Smith said.
