Habitat for Humanity will host their first-ever Shack-A-Thon Friday, May 1. The event will take place in the clearing near the tennis courts and goes from 5 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday. Students volunteer to build temporary homes with cardboard and other materials and stay in the shacks for a full night.

“It brings awareness to homelessness and substandard housing,” Habitat for Humanity sponsor Robert Snyder said. “It’s also a fun, bonding event. A time to hang out.”

Participants include C², Student Council, Key Club, RoboRaiders, a group of students from physics classes, Theatre and Habitat for Humanity. The National Spanish Honor Society donated money to aid students.

This is the first year that the school’s Habitat chapter has sponsored their own version of the event. In years past, they have participated in Shack-A-Thon events with other the Williamson County Habitat for Humanity at Southwestern University in Georgetown.

“I hope they have a greater appreciation for things that they have, like a real house,” Snyder said. “That their eyes are open, that they think more globally about the people, about how many people live without homes or in substandard housing. That they might be a little more proactive or less judgmental when dealing with people who find themselves in that situation.”