RUSSELL COUNTY, Va. (WCYB) — Emotions ran high as students and community members came together to finish building a home that instructor Aaron Buchanan started.
When I'm cutting something I always think of him hollering at me telling me to go do something and it kills me every time I think of it, said student Landon Keesee. Buchanan was a building trade instructor at the Russell County Career and Technology Center. He had an ongoing battle with cancer and recently passed away unexpectedly.
During his last months working he began a homebuilding project.
It's a real good program it helps the students work, and learn employable skills in carpentry and other trades, and it's a really good thing, said Stoney Creek Job Core Instructor John Easterly.
They do the home build every two years and proceeds from the sale of the house are used to fund the school's program.
This year's build halted abruptly when Buchanan died.
The roof wasn't on yet and since then the rain and other elements have caused damage to the interior.
So what was the plan without their trusted leader?
School officials contacted instructors from two job corps centers including Jacob's Creek in Bristol, Tennessee and Flatwoods in Coeburn Virginia.
The goal -- create a team to finish what Buchanan started.
We can combine our instructors and our students at Flatwood Job Corps along with the schools from the school districts, really it's about a partnership of caring, said Job Corps Flatwoods Center director Maynard Spell.
Buchanan's students say that finishing the build is their top priority.
I really want to finish it in honor of him and I'm so glad that they came up here and were able to help us finish what we started with him, said Keesee.
He's the best teacher we ever had, he wasn't even a teacher to us he was like family, said student Caleb Hubbard.
Buchanan's wife, Stephanie, tells News 5's Yannia Nordelo this project was very important to him and he would have loved to see everyone come together.
He would be very honored that we have our local not just Lebanon boys but our moccasin family here with their crew finishing what he started, he would have loved that, said Stephanie Buchanan
Building leaders say that they hope to finish the roof on this project in the next two weeks and finish the entire project within the next year.
By Yannia Nordelo WCYB News 5
Students rally to complete late instructor's homebuilding project in Russell County