But that's what sixth-graders Chelsea Blackwell, Sarah Destin, Shelley Goldberg, Stephanie Janac, Emilie Pentico, Caitlin Monteverde and Maryann Schwartzkopf at Blue Hills Elementary School can put down on their résumés if they ever decide to become architects.

The students, part of Girl Scout Troop 382, constructed a 75-pound, wooden dollhouse standing 4 ¹/2-feet tall and 2 ¹/2-feet wide as part of their bronze award project and donated it to children at the InnVision Homeless Shelter of the Georgia Travis Center in San Jose.

"I felt happy seeing the kids' faces brighten up," says Chelsea. "One kid grabbed my leg and wouldn't let me go. It felt good knowing that I made a difference in someone else's life."

Using the money they earned from selling Girl Scout cookies—some even dipped into their own piggy banks—the troopers bought accessories for the dollhouse, including dolls of different ethnicities, furniture and toys.

"What good would a dollhouse be if it didn't have all the good stuff to go with it?" Chelsea says.

Building a dollhouse can be fun, especially for an aspiring architect like Chelsea, but it's also a lot of hard work, as they all found out. With the help of Jim Payette, who donated several pieces of wood from his company, Blackwell Properties, the girls learned about different types of power tools, proper sanding and caulking techniques and tricks of faux painting.

Team member Shelley, who decorated the child's bedroom, says she enjoyed working on the dollhouse, not necessarily because she got to use tools she never really used before, but because it allowed her to be creative.

"At first I was afraid to use the staple gun because I thought I would staple my fingers together, but I got the hang of it after a while," she says.

Chelsea's mother and troop co-leader Pamela says she couldn't help but get teary eyed just seeing how committed the girls were to the project and to the children at the homeless shelter.

"The kids put a lot of time and energy into this," she says. "I was taken aback by how unselfish they were throughout the whole process."

Several local businesses decided to pitch in. In addition to the free pieces of wood from Blackwell Properties, Finer Floors donated a yard's worth of carpeting and The Avenue in Los Gatos gave them the girls wallpaper and paint.

"It was great," Blackwell says. "It turned into a communitywide project."

Prior to getting the bronze award, the girls had to earn a number of badges related to their final project. They put together a cookbook of their favorite recipes and decorated the cover to get their Let's Get Cooking and Drawing and Painting badges. They also received the Sign of the Star award, for which they had to take part in a sporting activity, a talent show and an overnight stay at Happy Hollow.

Shelley says she learned a lot about herself throughout the process. In particular, she discovered she had a lot more endurance than she thought after having a flat tire during a bike ride, which was part of the sporting activity.

"I was really tired, but I didn't want to stop, even though I knew I had a long way to go," Shelley says. "I'm glad I didn't give up."

For Caitlin, conquering the rocks at Planet Granet, a rock-climbing facility, is definitely something she will record in her book. The first-time climber didn't quite reach the top, but she did reach her goal in trying something new.

"It was a little scary at first," she says. "I didn't think I'd be so high up in the air. But it wasn't so bad. It was actually pretty fun."

Caitlin adds that she is not only proud of her personal accomplishments, but also her team's.

"You can achieve a lot by working together as a team," she says.

The girls may have reached the highest level of recognition in their age category, but they will be continuing with their personal growth and service to the community as cadets.