Pennridge High School students donate guitars to veterans with PTSD

Perkasie, Pa. (WTXF) - Students from Pennridge High School are helping veterans with PTSD.

Photojournalist Bill Rohrer has the story.

With only a few days left before summer vacation, Matt Peitzman's students at Pennridge High School are about to turn in one last project.

Since December, five students met after school until sometimes late in the evening. Over 300 hours were spent designing and making guitars for Governor Wolf's STEM competition. They made it all the way to the state finals, but fell a little short of winning the top prize. Of course after their teacher offered some words of encouragement.

"I said to the five team members we may have not won the state competition but no one in that state competition has what we just had," Peitzman said.

You see this group, made up of 9-12th graders all decided early on that the two guitars made will be donated to veterans who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder.

"This means a lot to me and I can't thank all of you enough for this."

Jonathan Bittner alongside Anibal Valentin were taken aback by the teen's thoughtfulness.

"I often wonder if people still remember what we did and what people are still doing and to have high school kids who may or not been alive during the attacks of 9/11 to do something like this for us who served is incredible," Bittner said.

Anibal served in the Navy alongside the Marines. He started playing guitar at the local college after he returned home from service.