Last week, a group of female students from Northgate High School learned two important things about themselves.

First, they found they could master construction skills. Then, they found they could use them to help change the lives of others.

The Northgate students worked as part of a Women Build event held by Habitat for Humanity at two homes under construction on Karl Avenue in Duquesne.

The girls were steered to the project by their physical education teacher, Norma McGinnis, who had worked at the Habitat site in March and was excited about the prospect of getting some of her students involved.

The project also received help from the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, which provided funding for the girls' transportation, and Lowe's Home Improvement in Homestead, which donated $5,000 toward the final building materials needed for the homes.

The intermediate unit, an education service agency, also provided a booklet that explained various tools and parts of a house and provided directions for caulking and weatherizing a home.

The project was part of the National Women Build week in which more than 150 Habitat for Humanity affiliates participated.

The Northgate girls, 26 in all, spent the day doing such tasks as caulking and installing shutters, screens, blinds and baseboard. They also cleaned, did touch-up painting and installed refrigerator shelving.

While some said they had helped with remodeling projects in their own homes, most of the girls said they had no previous experience with construction work.

"I feel good," Linsday McCracken, 18, a senior, said about installing baseboards in the bathroom and kitchen of one of the homes with classmates Crystal Flora and Shelby Miller, both 17 and juniors.

Shardai Gans, 17, also a junior, learned two new skills while working on one of the houses.

"I just learned how to hang blinds today and then I learned how to put a screen in," Shardai said.

Amanda Glevicky, 16, was busy filling in nail holes with colored putty on a bedroom door frame. Earlier, she had helped to clean a bathroom.

"It's fun to help people," Amanda said.

The project had two goals. One was to get the girls involved in volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity and the other was to expose them to a nontraditional career path, said officials from Habitat for Humanity and the intermediate unit.

The three-bedroom, two-bath homes were built on two empty lots that were donated to Habitat for Humanity, said Maggie Withrow, executive director.

The homes were finished last week and are to be dedicated at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Nadirah Simmons will move into one of the homes with her four children, ages 8, 7, 3 and 4 months.

She was touched by the hard work the girls did.

"It feels just wonderful to watch. It's a blessing that they could come and do this," Ms. Simmons said.