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District 214 students build house for injured veteran

Paulie Domian spent Monday measuring, drilling and nailing lumber. He checked blueprints and worked with his team to make sure the exterior wall of the house he was working on came out just right.

Domian isn't a professional contractor. He's a 16-year-old student at Buffalo Grove High School who, with his Geometry in Construction class, is helping build a house for injured Marine veteran Cody Evans.

"It's really meaningful. I know I'm doing something good for someone who needs it," Domian said of the connection to Evans, who has been the recipient of much goodwill from Northwest Suburban High School District 214 this year.

In late 2015, the Hersey High School community raised nearly $35,000 to build a new home for Evans, who in 2011 lost both his legs in an IED explosion while serving in Afghanistan. St. Alphonsus Liguori School in Prospect Heights also donated $3,000 from a charity basketball tournament, and the effort continues to accept donations at www.asoldiersjourneyhome.org/donate/.

The walls built Monday in Buffalo Grove and others that will be completed by Rolling Meadows High School students Tuesday will soon be put on truck beds and taken to Evans' hometown outside Knoxville. There volunteers from A Soldier's Journey Home will assemble the house, and Evans is expected to move in sometime in May.

"It's a big deal what these students are doing here," said Jimmy Miks, the Hersey teacher who coordinated the original fundraiser.

Evans visited Hersey in December, when students presented him with a check and symbolic key to his new home. The celebration inspired other District 214 schools to get involved with the construction.

  Buffalo Grove High School teacher Sean Murrin explains the framing plan to sophomore Sam Lenard as students built walls Monday during Geometry in Construction class. The walls will be used to build a house in Tennessee for wounded Marine veteran Cody Evans. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com

Miks said the students are learning "intellectual citizenship" with this project, along with real-world math and technical skills.

Geometry in Construction is a new class in District 214 this year. Based on a curriculum developed in Loveland, Colorado, the class - made up of 12 sophomores - meets for two periods each day. Students earn a geometry credit required for graduation and a tech credit as an elective, said teacher Brian Froecking.

"Everything on the geometry side is connected to the construction side," he said.

Students spent about a month preparing to build Evans' home by constructing practice walls, going through blueprints and practicing safety techniques.

"A normal, traditional math class didn't interest me," Domian said. "I would be just sitting in a classroom, not having a connection to the real world. Here the math really ties in, so you need to pay attention, which makes it easier to do."

"I thought it would make math more fun, which it did," added Bart Orlowski, a sophomore from Buffalo Grove.

  Buffalo Grove High School sophomore Bart Orlowski saws a board as he and fellow students build walls Monday during their Geometry in Construction class. The walls will be used to build a house in Tennessee for wounded Marine veteran Cody Evans. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com

Those are the experiences officials were hoping for with the new class.

Jeff Bott, division head for Career and Technical Education at Buffalo Grove High, said it has been a goal of his to bring back some kind of woodworking class for students, something that was eliminated at least 20 years ago. He hopes the class makes math relevant for high school students, teaches them practical skills they can use for their own home repairs one day, and opens up a career path for students who may want to work in the trades.

When the school was building a new computer lab, students in the Geometry in Construction class learned how to calculate area and laid the carpet for the project. They've constructed dog houses and may build their own sheds later this year, Bott said.

"Instead of just building, we're building for a reason," he said.

  Buffalo Grove High School sophomore Sam Turusbekov works with Bosch employee Michael Karch as students build walls during Geometry in Construction class on Monday. The walls will be used to build a house in Tennessee for wounded Marine veteran Cody Evans. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com

On Monday, the students got help from professionals at Bosch, headquartered in Mount Prospect. The company donated $10,000 in tools to Buffalo Grove High School in 2015, said Brooke Kashnowski, corporate communications coordinator.

"It's really interesting because we are a power tool company, but with our headquarters in Mount Prospect not all of us are as hands-on as we would like to be. We are actually learning a lot from the students," she said.

Home Depot donated $5,000 in lumber for the project and will assist Rolling Meadows students Tuesday.

  Buffalo Grove High School students Joel Smith, right, and Christian Miranda nail the frame together as students build walls Monday during Geometry in Construction class. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com

Teachers were texting Evans, who is studying to become a high school history teacher, with updates Monday so he could see the walls come together. Students said they are planning a road trip to Tennessee to visit Evans once he moves in.

"It will be mind-blowing to see it all put together," Orlowski said. "It feels pretty awesome. You don't really get the opportunity to do this kind of thing, especially in high school."

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