On April 13, Del Val joined Habitat for Humanity in Washington Township to help with the building of a new house. Del Val’s engineering teacher, Scott Pearl, led the group of students with great success.
Pearl has been working at Del Val for four years and was the one who brought Habitat for Humanity to the school. This is the second year he has run the club at Del Val. Prior, Pearl had run the Habitat Club at Hunterdon Central Regional High School for three years.
“It [Habitat for Humanity] gives students the opportunity to go out and see the job site and build the houses,” Pearl said.
Habitat also allows for Pearl’s architecture students to see the process of a building being constructed.
Habitat for Humanity is a global, nonprofit volunteer organization that helps in building houses for less fortunate families. They have established teams in approximately 70 countries and all 50 states of the US.
“There’s a lot of good reasons to participate,” Pearl said. “You can get service hours, give back to the community and if you’re in the engineering academy, it’s very beneficial to see how these things go on in the real world.”
Volunteering is not only beneficial to the future owners of the house being built but also to the students. They learn various life skills and work to collaborate with others.
“You’re helping people who are in need and are less fortunate,” Pearl said. “People are concerned with our youth of today, so volunteering can show and represent the school and the good things that the younger generation can do.”
Del Val will be joining Habitat for Humanity again in the 2024-2025 school year. Next year, make sure to stop by C105 to talk to Pearl and join the next build.
