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New York City teen Jonathan Nathan is in Tucson for six weeks to learn what manual labor is all about.

Allison Lewis is here from Brooklyn to gain some maturity.

Rafi Ungar came to Tucson all the way from Toronto, Ontario, to serve others.

And April Aaronson traveled from Northern California to take part in activities that will provide her with a sense of accomplishment this summer.

These four and 12 other Jewish teens arrived in Tucson more than a week ago as part of a six-week service trip organized by the American Jewish Society for Service.

"They have the means to do anything they want this summer and they are doing this," project director Nili Yosha said.

Yosha, who is from Israel, an assistant director and two counselors will supervise the teens as they participate in acts of "tikkun olam," which is a Hebrew phrase that means "repairing the world."

Established in 1951, the American Jewish Society for Service provides opportunities for Jewish teens to help communities in need.

Other trips to Texas and Kansas also are taking place this summer.

The Flowing Wells Unified School District was one of the first communities to benefit from the teens' help.

Thirty tons of gravel awaited the teens last week at Laguna Elementary School, 5001 N. Shannon Road.

"Before yesterday, I really had never done a days' work of really hard work," 16-year-old Nathan said last Thursday. "I was shoveling gravel. I learned both how hard and how rewarding it was."

Nathan and the other teens landscaped the school's new desert loop, trimmed trees and tidied up the tortoise habitat.

Laguna teacher Michael Marbut and his students started work on the desert loop, which includes cacti and plants, toward the end of the school year.

"I am so thankful for these kids. Their contribution to the school has been tremendous," Marbut said. "They actually did, in three days, what would have taken a good month for my sixth-graders to accomplish because of their size and ability. I am very proud of them and I'm happy to be associated with them."

Laguna Principal Theresa Leal-Holmes told the teens that their donation of sweat equity is one of the greatest things people can give a school.

"If you gave me a check for $1 million, I could spend it appropriately," she said. "However, what means so much more in schools is when we actually get people coming in and making those personal contacts with people."

Lewis, 17, was responsible last week for making Louie's habitat shine.

Louie is Laguna's resident tortoise.

Lewis, who is from Brooklyn, had never seen or touched a tortoise before she met Louie.

Her decision to travel to Tucson with the American Jewish Society for Service, or the AJSS, was made so she could grow up a bit.

"I feel like I needed to mature. I wanted to get out of my parents' hair," she said. "I just wanted to give back. I know that's a real basic reason, but I wanted to do something."

Lewis' motives for participating in the service trip are shared by others.

Ungar, from Toronto, had spent the last few summers at camp, but decided he wanted this summer to be more eventful.

He researched service opportunities and settled with the AJSS.

"I thought maybe I could find a program that would allow me to build skills, improve myself and help the community at the same time," he said.

Ungar, 16, and his fellow participants are being hosted by TMM Family Services, 3127 E. Adams St.

Other service projects scheduled to be completed by the teens include a trip to Ajo where they will help refurbish an old elementary school and projects with veterans, Native Seeds in Patagonia, Humane Borders, Primavera Foundation and the Marana Farm.

They get leisure time, too — they've already visited the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and are planning a trip to the Grand Canyon.

They needed no introduction to the Tucson weather and its beautiful surroundings.

"It is so hot," Lewis said. "I really like it though. I didn't forget about cacti, but I didn't realize there would be a forest of cacti. That's really beautiful."

Nathan, who is from New York City, has already found that life doesn't move as fast out here in the desert.

"It is so culturally different from New York," he said. "Life is mellow here. Life moves at a slower pace."