PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — Rutherford High School’s construction academy is helping Chautauqua Charter School’s mentally challenged students convert a school bus into a place for the charter school’s visitors to stay.
They’re planning to bring in social workers and students from Ireland.
Rutherford sophomore student Bryan Lackey said he’s never worked on a bus before. Let alone turn it into a tiny home.
“I mean I enjoy demolition and all that kind of stuff. Getting to tear and rip things apart, you know for the start of the project,” Lackey said. “Then, of course getting to go back in, and put everything back in and piece it all back together. I’m really excited.”
The bus will have a kitchen, a full bathroom, and a couple of bunk beds.
Closer to the front will be a living room.
“And the plan is to put at least one sleeper sofa and potentially if we end up with the right space potentially two,” Rutherford’s Construction Technology Teacher Jason Rodgers said. “So it’ll sleep 6-8 when we’re done.”
Some local civic organizations are donating furnishings.
The project is expected to cost around $10,000.
Chautauqua Charter School officials said they are very grateful for Rutherford’s assistance.
“We can only take, in our minds, a dream so far because we just don’t have those skills,” Chautauqua Charter School Director Cynthia McCauley said. “But Mr. Rodgers has got a vision that instantly he had an idea far bigger and better than we could ever dream.”
Rutherford students said they are more than happy to help.
“Working on this bus means a lot to me,” Junior Student Orpheus Powers said.
Powers’ said his sister is mentally challenged.
“And it just means a lot to be able to help people that are like them,” Powers said.
Students hope to finish the project by at least November 2022.
They said they will be building more tiny homes in the future.
