Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — While the eighth-grade girls at Steamboat Springs Middle School participate in career day Tuesday, their male peers will undertake a different, but no less important, pursuit.

The eighth-grade boys will construct wooden cardholders and sell them to raise money to buy Caitlin Forrest a computer one of the items she lost in the fire that burned her family's home.

The home burned March 13, and the family lost many personal items to smoke and fire damage.

To help Caitlin and her mother, Mary Couch, and brother, Austin, get back on their feet, students will have to learn a little about construction, sales and mostly, how to give back. Johnny Walker, the industrial arts teacher at the middle school, will give a demonstration on how to build the cardholders.

Jerry Buelter, assistant principal at the middle school, said the cardholders are really neat and the fund-raiser is a nice way to help the Forrest family.

"I'm looking forward to it. I'm thinking it will be a good day," Buelter said. "They will get something out of it."

Buelter said some students will help construct the cardholders in industrial arts class while other students will be out selling them.

In addition to helping raise money, students will help finish the living memorial before the New York firefighters participate in the dedication of the memorial on Wednesday.

The Living Memorial is intended to give students a way to reflect and consider the significance of Sept. 11.

The memorial is planned to have a large flag, a brick walkway, park benches and two tall trees symbolizing the twin towers.

Buelter said the day will give students the opportunity to help the community and make a difference through their hard work. The day will also give students many things to consider with lectures by select guest speakers.

For the career day, Workforce of Colorado will be present to discuss summer job options and Buelter will give students a question and answer session about high school.

He said as a former high school teacher, he could give students insight about their upcoming years in school.