Playhouses: More Than Just Fun

About the Program

Category: Children and Youth (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

Students enrolled in the Henrico County Public Schools’(HCPS) Advanced Career Education Centers had the opportunity to engage in practical learning experiences to support a community-based nonprofit organization. Those in the Carpentry and Computer-Aided Drafting, or CAD, programs designed and constructed a custom playhouse for the “Home for Good” event, organized through Henrico County, Virginia Court Appointed Special Advocates program (CASA). Henrico CASA is a nonprofit organization that advocates in court for childrens’ best interests and seeks to educate the community about the needs of abused and neglected children. Their “Home for Good” event features playhouses donated by area organizations, which are raffled to raise funds for CASA. Students in the Computer-Aided Drafting program met design requirements, approved the designs by CASA and then handed off the approved design to HCPS carpentry students to evaluate and construct. In partnering with the community organization, students engaged in a hands-on, meaningful project that reinforced and taught them new skills, including being productive citizens contributing to a community need.