In the age of technology, newer courses such as Digital Design and T.V. Production are  available to students, allowing them to study and embrace the many features this technological era presents. Though traditional classes like woodshop seem outdated, students in the class are learning skills that remain valuable, despite the test of time. And while they usually go unnoticed by most students on campus, specially selected students are working underneath the stadium to construct and repair school grounds.

“We do projects to fix things on campus,” senior Raphael Janiel said. “We also learn about using tools, measuring, and building. I’ve learned how to level ground, and install flooring. I think these are the most important skills because I can use these in the future as my career.”

The class uses first-hand experiences to help students understand important concepts, since the repairs on campus are often done by the woodshop class. This allows them to gain understanding of what they have learned, while also acquiring hands-on experience.

“This year we put up a fence outside,” senior Justin Keyt said. “We actually measured and leveled out the earth, put dirt and leveled, and sawed wood to have a stand and put a fence in.”

Woodshop students are not not only equipped  with skills that can help in future careers, but also helps them to get certified in their craft.

Along with future job preparation, some students have already been practicing skills they learned in woodshop in the real world. Select students have been paid for helping neighbors with installations and repairs. Some have even assisted faculty off campus.

“I actually helped out a teacher with plumbing,” Keyt said. “We worked on her waterway, because she kept having floods happen inside her laundry room. So we cut out the entire bottom of the flooring and put new boards in.”

Overall, students enjoy the creative and hard-working atmosphere provided in the woodshop. They plan to take the skills they learn with them into the future, and are well equipped to do so.

“The best skill I’ve learned from this class is overall tool usage,” Keyt said. “If you know how to use basic tools you can get any job done.”