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MONTPELIER, OH -- It is not every day in the news that we get an email from a 7th grader so excited about a school project that he begs us to come out and put together a story on it.

But that is what happened a few weeks ago and it is why I headed out to Montpelier on Tuesday.

"Uh, I'm not usually a huge fan of math but this was really fun," said Alexia Ewers.

"I usually don't look forward to math class but I liked this project," said Austin Cook.

"It wasn't just like a worksheet like a typical day in the classroom--you actually got to do hands-on things," said Clay O'Neal.

So what project had all these students so excited? Well, the answer is going to sound pretty simple.

"We made houses out of cardboard boxes," said Ewers.

But the 7th graders went beyond that... for 15 weeks they have been constructing and creating their mini-mansions.

"I think the hardest part was trying to get the box how it was supposed to be, like get the walls set up how you want it, cutting the box the right shape," said Haley Suffel.

"We'd find the area and the perimeter and things like that of our rooms," said Cook.

"We went out and painted it-- which we found the surface area of it so that we knew how much paint to use," said Ewers.

"You're still applying the things that you learn in math class that you might use every day but in a fun way to teach it and learn it," said O'Neal

Their teacher Mrs. Cassie Boron says that is exactly the point: preparing them for life and standardized tests in a more memorable way.

"We did rates and which one is the better buy-- which is all stuff that is encompassed in that big test that they're going to take but it's stuff that they can relate it to," said Boron.

And use their imaginations by making things like a model marble bathtub, a dream deck, an indoor golf course or a working garage door.

Students say this is a project they will not soon forget.

"I wanted to go into law but now I kind of want to go into construction or architecture," said O'Neal

Boron is actually a first-year teacher and is thrilled her project was such a hit with students.

She says she has to thank the district, other teachers and parents for their support and supply donations.

Is there a memorable class project you remember working on when you were in school? Or is your child working on something interesting now? Leave a comment and share your story.

**Special thanks to Clay O'Neal for contacting NBC24 about this story!**