In the tiny town of Colfax, CA, Jonathan Schwartz and his construction students are building new connections to their community. Using funding from a Harbor Freight Tools for Schools grant for Schwartz’s Community Impact Project, they have repurposed logs removed for fire safety into benches that dot the walking path at the nearby senior living community.

Schwartz, whose mom is a resident at the senior center, developed the project with his students with the goal of improving living conditions and bringing attention to alternative green processes. He emphasized the positive environmental effects of the project, noting that by acquiring wood destined for landfills, they have prevented the carbon released in wood breakdown from entering the atmosphere. Students exercised their skills with digital design, milling saws, CNC machining, woodworking, concrete pouring, and iron work to execute and install the benches.

Throughout the process, students took multiple opportunities to visit the senior living community and engage with its residents and staff. This brought a level of collaboration to help meet the senior citizens’ needs for comfort and accessibility, as well as the chance for the different generations to connect.

“I believe it’s important for high school students to not only be involved in their community, but to establish relationships with seniors because as a whole, we tend to separate our generations,” said Paula Sellers, the living center’s director.

More benches are in the works at Colfax High School, and Schwartz and his students look forward to continuing their partnerships in the local community.