Crossroads Housing head paul Pryor said BSHS building trades students will spend most of their summer remodeling a home on Birdwell Lane for the agency.

“This lets them get practical experience in the building trades, plus the get extra school credits during the summer,” Pryor said. “And we pay them a stipend for their work.”

Pryor said the work amounts to much more than just slapping a new coat of paint on the walls..

“They'll install new siding, new floor covering, new electrical wiring, plumbing ... cabinets,” Pryor said, listing some of the work the students will do this summer. “It's pretty much a complete makeover.”

Michael Downes, superintendent of Big Spring schools, said the genesis of the project came about during a recent chamber of commerce meeting.

“The purpose of the meeting was to discuss housing needs in Howard County,” Downes said. “I felt like this would be a great opportunity for Big Spring High School students to earn some income and provide a valuable resource to the community.”

Project plans were finalized a few weeks ago when Pryor and Stacy Swisher of Crossroads met with Downes, building trades instructor Mark Winn and Terry Wegman, executive director of the Big Spring Economic Development Corporation.

“We had been running the project with (SouthWest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf) students, but that didn't work out,” Pryor said. “We changed from them to the high school students, and this project will be their first endeavor with us.”

Both school officials and Pryor are hopeful the program can expand.

“The students will be working on the one house during the summer,” Pryor said. “If all goes well ... we have three other homes they'll work on during the school year.”

Contact Staff Writer Steve Reagan at 263-7331 ext. 234 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it