Students In the Dog House For A Good Cause

LANCASTER, Ohio—From the very beginning, a Lancaster High School carpentry shop project was different.

It started with some dumpster diving.

Andy Phillips’ 11th-grade students got permission from area home-construction sites to pillage the scrap heaps. 

They grabbed the two-by-fours and anything that might be useful, pulled out the nails, and stashed it all away.

Then they created their own blueprints.

Phillips gave them some dimensions and the latitude to be a little creative.

“I give them the overall dimensions, and they have to draw up their own set of blue prints for it,“ Phillips said. “So they have the creativity and flexibility as long as they stay within the dimensions.“

They built dog houses. Deluxe dog houses. Some even have windows. Amazing canine accommodations.

And all eight dog houses are being donated to the Fairfield Area Humane Society.

“The kids do an awesome job,“ FAHS Executive Director Michelle Sahr said. 

She has a whole set of dog houses lined up in front of her office. 

Her newly adopted German shepherd even gave them a short test for comfort.

The shelter will use the dog houses as a fund-raiser. 

They’ll be sold and raffled to supplement the organization’s budget. 

Sahr said the society runs on a $165,000 annual budget, and only a tiny fraction of the funds come from city, county or state sources. 

The organization depends on private donations to pay for the animals’ medical care, food and shelter.

“Every animal in here will benefit from these houses and all of the other donations that people give us throughout the year,“ she said.

And she said she thinks it’s a great learning experience for the students.

“It’s not only about building,“ she said. “It’s about helping the community. And that’s fantastic, and we are so grateful!“

“They have to be given some direction that they have skills that the community needs,“ Phillips said. “Hopefully, that will follow along and will be a lifelong learning lesson, and they’ll want to be involved in the community.“

This was the third year for the charitable projects. 

The same class also built rocking horses and donated them to a local women’s shelter.

“Y’know, it’s a good thing to help out the community,“ student Stephen Peters said. “You can always be nice and help out with others. It’s a really good feeling.“

Fellow LHS junior Denver Hutchinson agreed.

“It’s good to help out the community because if you were someone who needed help, you would want the community to help you,“ he said.

The students said they plan to continue enhancing their carpentry skills. And they hope to continue giving back to the community.

For more information, visit the Fairfield Area Humane Society at http://www.fairhumane.org/ or Lancaster City Schools at http://www.lancaster.k12.oh.us.

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