West Branch eighth-grade students Ian Gentile and Seth Lee recently restored a 1972 Trail Horse GTO-100 mini bike with the help of CBI teacher Scott Davis. The mini bike will be raffled off to help raise money for middle school teacher Jen Smith, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in the fall. With the mini bike are, from left, Seth, Davis and Ian. (Salem News photo by Kevin Howell)

BELOIT — Two West Branch Middle School students are using their classroom experience to raise money for a teacher battling cancer.

Eighth graders Ian Gentile and Seth Lee, students in Scott Davis’ CBI (Career Based Intervention) class, recently restored a 1972 Trail Horse GTO-100 mini bike, valued at $1,500, which will be raffled off at the upcoming Festival of Arts event on April 27. All proceeds from the raffle will go toward Jen Smith’s battle against breast cancer. Smith is a physical education teacher at the school.

Tickets for the mini bike raffle are $5 each and can be purchased by contacting Davis at 330-938-4436 or scott.davis@wbwarriors.org. Tickets can also be purchased at West Branch Middle and High Schools.

The winner does not need to be present at the Festival of the Arts to win.

According to Davis, he has been offering his eighth-grade students a chance to restore mini bikes as part of the OMB Mini Bike Build Off the past three years. The CBI class works with non-traditional students to prepare them for the workforce out of high school, Davis said, focusing on teaching them right and wrong, integrity, honesty and service, he said.

“Part of that learning is to do something for someone for no other reason than to help them,” Davis explained.

Upon learning about Smith’s cancer diagnosis in the fall, Davis said he decided to raffle off a mini bike to help with her medical costs.

“Cancer is a…you know,” he said. “You see someone in the building who needs some help, you want to do what you can. And Ian and Seth really stepped up.”

The two students worked on a bike left over from last year, volunteering up to an hour and half after school each Monday on the project.

Davis purchases the complete classic bikes and turns them over to the students who then tear them down, determine what parts need replaced and find them online. Davis then sandblasts the bikes and purchases the parts before the students complete the restoration. Davis then ensures the bikes are operable.

This particular bike project is unique, though, according to Davis.

“It gives them experience of doing something for someone while (at the same time) helping someone in the building,” he noted.

Both students said they volunteered as a fun way to help out Smith.

“It feels good to be able to help,” Ian said.

“This was a good idea because it helps [Smith],” Seth added.

With more than a month remaining before the raffle, Davis is encouraging community members and businesses to get behind the goal of helping Smith as much as possible.

“We are hoping to sell as many tickets as possible,” he said. “Our school and community has already been a great support system for [Smith] and we hope to continue growing that support with the money raised through this mini bike raffle.”

khowell@salemnews.net