More than 80 high school students are building two houses from start to finish in collaboration with the Great Falls NeighborWorks.

The 2009-2010 houses are the 24th and 25st built by students from C.M. Russell and Great Falls high schools over the past decade.

A groundbreaking was held Sept. 8 at 1708 Central Ave.,. for the Great Falls High School house. A groundbreaking was held that same day at 1409 1st Ave. NW., for the C.M. Russell High School house.

The houses are built for low-income families in neighborhoods being revitalized by the NeighborWorks. Great Falls businesses assist on a range of tasks from digging the foundation hole to help with interior design.

Students get class credit for the work they do on the homes while learning house construction skills.

The houses are typically completed in May for sale and will be available to a family that earns less than 80 percent of the Cascade County median income.

Falls Construction Co. provided diggers to excavate holes for the foundations.

The houses will be built using “green” elements that will allow them to be Energy Star certified. It is expected to result in enormous energy and utility costs savings to the homeowners.

Students will be exposed to “green” thinking and “green” materials which may prove useful to them both as future builders and future consumers.

Additionally, for the third year, students who turn 18 before graduation will be able to earn $1,000 AmeriCorps scholarships for working on the houses and doing additional community volunteer service work. Last school year some 30 students qualified for the award, which is good for seven years after graduation and can be used for post secondary education including apprenticeships and trade schools.

In addition to the house builders, students from the Interior Design classes at both schools will devise an interior design for each house, and Landscape Design students from CMR will landscape the CMR house in the spring.

Bruce Barta is the instructor at Great Falls High School.  Tom Maurer is the instructor at C.M. Russell High School.