Former President Jimmy Carter’s remains will be moved to Washington D.C. Tuesday.
As people begin to pay their respects as he lies in state at the U.S. Capitol, a Rhinelander High School class is honoring his legacy in a different way.
Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn started working with Habitat for Humanity in 1984 following Carter’s time as President.
He became the face of the organization and for decades rallied volunteers and support to build houses all over the world.
“Every time I think of Habitat for Humanity, I think of Jimmy Carter,” said Dave Havel, the Executive Director of the Northwoods Chapter of Habitat for Humanity. “Each and every year he would actually physically get out and help build houses. It was unbelievable. Him and his wife created such a legacy of work ethic and support and belief in our Habitat for Humanity mission.”
That work ethic is being instilled into students in Rhinelander High Schools’ Residential Construction class.
It’s the third year the class has helped build a Habitat for Humanity house in Rhinelander.
Teacher Wil Losch says the class helps develop their skills in a way he says wouldn’t be possible without the partnership with Habitat.
“This is a real world project. We're not just doing this for just the grade,” said Losch. “In fact, the grade is really kind of a secondary purpose. This is somebody's home and their chance to get into home ownership.”
On a sunny, cold January morning, the student continued working on the house which is being built right across the street from the high school.
Before they picked up their tools, Losch and Havel spent some time explaining Carter’s impact on Habitat for Humanity and the impact Habitat has on a family and a community.
“That saying that ‘a hand up is better than a handout’, and to me, Habitat and former President Carter, exude that. This is a hand up, not a handout. The family's been out here and met the students and put in some time out here, so we get to live that,” said Losch.
Senior Ian Rumney wanted to take the Residential Construction class to gain skills to help him be more independent as he got older.
“I've learned a lot about trades and just secrets on the job,” said Rumney.
Rumney was aware of Carter’s impact on Habitat for Humanity before this lesson. He says it’s a privilege to work on the Habitat house and echoed one of Carter’s main messages.
“Everybody deserves to own a house. Nobody should be renting for their whole lives and never owning a house. Everybody deserves that ability,” said Rumney.
For other students in the class, they didn’t learn about Carter’s involvement with Habitat until after his death.
“I think it's cool that we're in the same program that he was once a part of,” said Senior Zach Germain.
“I think it really shows how big the program is, and how many job sites there are, and how many houses have actually been built, if, you know, the President was involved with it,” said Senior David Hogue.
Germain and Hogue are taking the residential construction class for different reasons.
Germain to learn something new.
Hogue has been trying to take all different kinds of trades classes to see which one he might like to pursue after high school.
Both have enjoyed learning the ins and outs of building a house saying the framing has been their favorite part so far.
“It really goes from just a slab of concrete, and then you see the whole house,” said Hogue. “It's kind of like the bones of the house. It's really cool to see that.”
Knowing they’re creating something that be around for decades to come makes them proud.
“I'd like to drive past this place in 20 years or whatever, and think about my res. construction class in high school, and feel like, you know, we'll be proud in the future that we helped out on this,” said Hogue.
“I think that would be a proud moment to show someone I helped build the house,” added Germain.
Losch hopes that feeling sticks with them, that the work they’re doing is more than building a house.
It’s being part of a legacy, built up by a former president, that goes beyond all of them.
“I think there's moments when we're doing finish work that we remind them that this is going to be somebody's home, that they know somebody is going to be looking at that all the time,” said Losch. “I hope there's a sense of awareness that this is for something bigger than themselves.”
During the 30-plus years Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, they helped renovate or repair more 4,400 homes in 14 countries.
