When Riverside High School in Bonners Ferry needed more space, its students chipped in.

With the leadership of teacher Greg Springett, students have expanded the three-classroom school into six classrooms. There were no labor costs for the $10,000 project.

“When we got the building through the district, we started the renovations,” said Springett, who taught a building trades program at Rocky Mountain Academy for 13 years. “Through grants, we’ve purchased equipment and materials to renovate, remodel and maintain the building.”

The students last year built a shop to store the district’s maintenance equipment and did all the sheet-rocking, finish work and painting. They are currently building cabinets for a computer/science lab.

Joining the Riverside High School staff seven years ago, Springett started the building trades program.

“It’s a dream come true,” he said. “I love to build and was a master carpenter. When you master something, you have to give it away. Not all the students are going to be carpenters, but hopefully all will be homeowners someday.”

Students Ed Perez and Kody Swift enjoy the class.

“It’s actually something hands-on you can do instead of sitting in a classroom,” said Swift.

“It really helps if you want to go into that profession,” said Perez, who has taken the class for the past two years.

“It teaches students how to work together,” said Springett. “Building something together is a value students are usually taught. It’s what I like to see the most.”

Every year the students build a replica of Thorough’s cabin, which they auction off to the community to fund the building program. The cabins usually sell for around $6,000 to $7,000. Springett also receives a yearly grant from the state for $6,000.

“It’s a reward for them to stand back and look at what they built,” he said. “That’s when I feel good… when a student feels good about what they have done.”

Springett hopes to have students build a canoe in the future.