Proving education doesn’t always happen in the classroom, 23 students from Bowman High School volunteered to work next to construction workers at the Habitat for Heroes project on Centre Pointe Parkway in Santa Clarita Friday.

Habitat for Heroes, part of the international Habitat for Humanity organization, has been building homes next to the school for the last few years. This year marks the third year Bowman students will volunteer their time.

“The students get good skills out of it,” said Ravinder Athwal, astronomy, physics and earth science teacher at Bowman who was acting administrator for the day. “In addition to good work experience, they get to see what it’s like to behave professionally. They learn how to present themselves and how to carry those skills forward.”

The students can put this on their resumes as work experience as well as volunteering experience. Many students see the value of volunteering and go on to volunteer in other capacities away from school.

Habitat for Humanity enjoys having the students there and recognizes the service they provide. At first it was just picking up trash, but now they get the students contributing on the construction side, from hanging blinds and moving supplies, to caulking and attaching floor boards.

“The relationship between Bowman and Habitat for Heroes is strong,” Athwal said. “Our students benefit from this involvement and our community benefits from their involvement as well. We plan on continuing that partnership after this site is finished.”