A Sedro-Woolley program combines math and science with construction to help build up community.
About 10 students, all of them girls, hit a Skagit County construction site Wednesday. They are in the Geometry in Construction program at Sedro-Woolley High School.
They're learning math by building a house for Habitat for Humanity.
"If you build a house you need geometry to figure out the shapes and angles and measurements between them," said sophomore Jordan Harris.
The idea is to encourage girls to explore math and science through hands-on experience, but not everyone has to pursue an engineering degree.
Some, like Karsyn Rooks, are happy slinging a saw.
"I use power tools all the time at home with my dad," she said.
Rooks plans to study construction management and build houses of her own one day – eager to prove young women are cut out for the male-dominated arena.
"I think it's cool that girls get to be involved and show that girls can do things that men can do," said Rooks.
Construction workers are in great demand these days, as is affordable housing. The free labor supplied by the students will help house a family in a community where 75 percent of the people can't afford their rent.
"We're trying to actually fill a need rather than say all kids have to go to college," said Sedro-Woolley High Assistant Principal Wes Allen. "It can be a trade or a skill. It's really whatever the student is passionate about. That's what we want to push and explore."
Students at Sedro-Woolley High plan to help build at least one house per year for Habitat for Humanity for the foreseeable future.
