By Allen Hamrick
It has been a given in our lifetime that as we grow up we learn a few skills on the way to adulthood that ultimately give the confidence we need for bigger and better opportunities. It has been a standard from the early days of the pioneers that woodworking, blacksmithing, farming, fishing, fixing and critical thinking were all a part of the skills necessary for the youth of that day to learn. Simply because the future of that time was counted in days not years, and knowing these skills assured a young one would have a home and something to eat when they left to be on their own. Today, not so much; we can decide our own fates by simply figuring out what our career will be and doing it. The opportunities are endless, from opening a lemonade stand to being a brain surgeon; all a person has to do is work toward that end. These days, however, those skills that were taught long ago for survival have now become simply a choice you can learn or you don’t have to. Learning these basic skills can still benefit the youth, whether they are used as a hobby or perhaps their future career as a professional home builder, for example.
The Clay County Schools summer school career and technical education exploration programs, under the direction of Dr. Michelle Samples, provide an opportunity for students to learn important skills in a nontraditional classroom setting. In the summer school program, participating youth can learn skills from woodworking to electronics, animal science to entrepreneurship, and basketball to art. Middle and high school students participating in the woodworking class are working with the new Elk River Trail State Park officials to build and install five new benches along the new trail. These benches are not just ordinary benches; these are eight foot themed benches that will give the user an extremely comfortable rest as they are using the trail.
Three benches have been finished over a three week period – the bear bench, the eagle bench and the massive ten feet train depot bench. The wood and materials for the project were provided by the summer school program as well as the State Parks Commission. The students have learned design, layout, and construction of the benches along with hands on tool use. Some of the students will participate in the installation of the benches this week, which includes digging the holes for the legs, setting them with concrete and finishing them. This will be labor intensive but rewarding knowing that people from all over will be enjoying their work. Summer school will end this week and the students involved did a great job of getting these three benches completed with the amount of work and art that went into the projects. These benches will definitely be a welcome site to the hikers and bikers on the trail for years to come.
