Franklin Matters: Tri-County Carpentry Students Visit McGovern Elementary in Medway

Friday, June 22, 2018

Tri-County Carpentry Students Visit McGovern Elementary in Medway

Woodworking, from custom-made cabinetry and furniture to unique wooden pieces, is the fine art of the construction trade. The beautiful thing about woodworking is that it can be done by all ages. Whether young, old, or somewhere in between, there are woodworking projects to fit any skill level. Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School Carpentry students often work on a variety of woodworking projects to refine their skills in milling, sizing, designing, installing and finishing.

One of the assignments the Tri-County Carpentry students were tasked with was to create a pre-cut wooden tool box kit. The finished kits would then be assembled by first graders at the McGovern Elementary School in Medway. As a finishing touch, the wooden tool boxes were to be engraved with each first grader's name. This required the Carpentry students to utilize a CNC router. Then they needed to ensure each tool box kit contained safety glasses, a tape measure and screw driver.

Once the tool boxes were ready to go, Tri-County Carpentry juniors visited the first grade class at the McGovern Elementary School in Medway where they instructed and helped the students to assemble the tool box.

"We were impressed with how well the first grade students worked safely with the tools and took to the woodworking project, said Madison Hughes, a Tri-County junior from North Attleboro. "They were a great class."

"All of the first grade students caught on quickly, and were so excited to see their names on their toolboxes, said Rebecca Wendtland, a Tri-County junior from Plainville.

"The carpentry students utilized traditional craftsmanship skills along with modern technology to bring the project together," said Jeremy Barstow, Carpentry Instructor at Tri-County. "Students really enjoyed preparing the kits for each first grader, and overall it was a very fun and interactive event for all."

After putting the tool box together, Tri-County students taught the first graders about the high school's Tools for Success, including the school's new core values which are Trust, Character, Professionalism, Responsibility, Integrity, Dedication and Empowerment (TC PRIDE). They explained to the first graders what each word meant and had an interactive session discussing how those words can be used for success in school. The first-graders were given the laminated TC PRIDE words to add to their new tool boxes.

Tri-County RVTHS, located at 147 Pond Street in Franklin, is a recipient of the High Schools That Work Gold Achievement Award and serves the communities of Franklin, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, North Attleboro, Plainville, Seekonk, Sherborn, Walpole, and Wrentham.