REDMOND, OR -- Redmond High School students will be recognized at Tuesday’s city council meeting for their contributions to the Oasis Village shelter, which is set to open next month.

RHS Construction Technology Instructor Alan Wheeler says student learned important skills, “We did the siding, we had window installs, we had door installs, we did insulating. So, there was a lot of trades that we touched on as we were going through, from the bottom up.” He added the project also taught them lessons beyond the classroom, “The biggest thing is connecting with their community, knowing that their work was going to be somewhere that they're going to be passing by on occasion and be able to look at that and say, 'I was part of that, I built that and I made my community a better place.’” 

He says some even worked over Thanksgiving break, “The kids came in on their holiday and they've helped finish them up. That speaks volumes as well when you have those students who are so excited about it. And, you know, they’ve bought into it that they're showing up on their day off to make sure the project gets done.”

He tells KBND News since the start of the school year about 40 students worked on four of the 15 bedroom-shelters installed at the East Redmond site. Nine students will attend Tuesday’s City Council meeting. 

Wheeler believes the project will have a lasting impact on the teens, “You're getting involved in your community, you're fixing and solving a problem, and this is one step toward it and the kids have been asking now about the students have said, 'hey, are we going to do another one?' I go, 'Absolutely’.”

Heart of Oregon Corp and Hayden Homes are also included in the council’s recognition.