Historic house repaired by students

New Hanover High math teacher Eva Battle taught her students well.

So well that their math skills helped save her family’s house from being destroyed.

“The work that they did, they ideas they came up with, I let them do whatever they wanted to do. Whatever the design was, it was great. I just told them to go for it,” Battle said.

The house, located on Queen street in downtown Wilmington, belonged to Battle’s aunt in the 1920s. Battle doesn’t live in the house, but she didn’t want to see it demolished. She couldn’t afford to maintain it, and was ready to let it go.

That’s when neighborhood social worker Nancy Bell stepped in, willing to do whatever she could to preserve the home, and the neighborhood’s character.

“They’re cute little houses, they’re energy efficient, they provide a community neighborhood feel because they all have front porches,” Bell said.

Bell enlisted the help of new hanover high students, who, among other contributors, helped redesign the kitchen and bathroom and rebuild the back deck.

“There’s a lot of math involved, especially with the cabinet work,” said Leigh Wallace Hines, a New Hanover High Senior who helped re-design the kitchen. “If the cabinet isn’t especially accurate, then it’s hard to put the appliances in.”

With the help of teachers and outside contractors, it took the New Hanover honor students close to year to finish. In the end, they say their hard work paid off.

“I feel like the fact that we as a group of students came together with Ms. Bell to work on this house shows that youth can have an impact and can help,” said New Hanover Senior Katy Link.

“Giving back to the community has always been important to me and now that I’ve given back to a former teacher of mine as I go off to college next year, it’s been a lot of fun,” Hines added.

“They did a great job,” Battle said. “The house is simply beautiful.”

With the students’ help, Battle was able to repair the house for nearly 45 thousand dollars less than the initial estimate. The house is going to be rented as affordable housing for the city.