DOVER — A group of Dover High School students has teamed up with the Ageless Dreamer Foundation to take their lesson outside of the classroom.

Ten students in the Career Technical Center's Building Construction Technology II class have been working for about two months to design, build and install a handicap ramp for a resident who has made a dream request with the Ageless Dreamer Foundation.

The dreamer, who declined to be identified, has not been able to leave her home since last May, when severe arthritis left her wheelchair-bound.

"Medicare said it would give her an electric wheelchair and we stepped in and provided the ramp," Beth Fischer, executive director of the Ageless Dreamer Foundation, said.

The students first designed and built the ramp at school before bringing the materials to the dreamer's home and assembling the final product.

Ben Ruel, a Dover High School senior in the class, said the project provided an opportunity to do something different.

Mike Ross/Chief photographer The Ageless Dreamer foundation in conjunction with the Construction Technology II senior class at Dover High School built a ramp for Norman and Madeline Ouellette in Dover with lumber donated by Middleton Lumber Supply. Pictured from the left are, in front: Irahn Bate, Construction Technology instructor; Laurie Widmark, founder Ageless Dreamer; Peter Widmark, board of directors; and in the back row: Wade Mowers, Travis James, Joshua Garnett, Travis Olivieri, Adam Brown, Gary Fielding, Kevin Richards, Kevin Wingate and Ben Ruel.

"It's a lot different and a lot more fun," Ruel said. "I like that we are changing it up."

Travis James, also a senior, said the project has also given the students a chance to make an impact on the community.

"It's a good cause," he said. "We aren't just wasting time."

The class's instructor, Irahn Bate, who also took the same course when he was a Dover High School student, said this particular project was a unique opportunity and unlike other projects students often complete in the class.

He said students in the course typically build a house, and although that project provides several elements to learn, the ramp installation provided an opportunity to finish a project during a relatively short period of time.

"They are learning about starting a job and finishing a job in a short time," Bate said. "They can see it done without losing the whole scope of work."

Like other Ageless Dreamer Projects, Fischer said, this project was coordinated by the foundation but required a community effort in order to be successful.

In addition to utilizing the skills of the high school students, the foundation worked with the city to secure the necessary building permits and received all the supplies as a donation from Middleton Lumber, Fischer said.

"This is a perfect example of when a company donates materials and the high school donates services," Wally Johnson, who sits on the board of directors, said. "We try to do that for all our dreams."