ABBOTSFORD, B.C. (CCN) — When St. John Brebeuf Secondary launched its first woodworking class this fall, students didn’t just start learning a new skill, they began building the classroom itself.
The Abbotsford school’s course is the first of its kind at a Lower Mainland Catholic school and was only made possible by a remarkable act of generosity. Chilliwack resident Dave Clarke donated an entire workshop’s worth of tools, valued between $20,000 and $30,000, after cancer left him unable to use them.
“I wanted to give back something for our community and chose to donate my whole workshop of tools,” Clarke told The B.C. Catholic. “Fortunately, through a series of mutual connections we found each other, and my wife and I both agreed that this was the best of all possible scenarios, as it would continue to benefit a long series of school children and possibly create a stream of new tradespeople.”
The gift gave students exactly what they had been asking for, says woodworking teacher Martin Lavrik.
“The kids have desired this,” he said. “They want to work not only with their minds, but also with their hands – to be physical, get that energy out of their bodies, be constructive, and be proud of it.”
The new class is an opportunity for students who may not thrive in highly academic environments. “Not all kids are interested in the classroom and highly academic courses,” said Lavrik. “They want to build as well. This would bring a good balance.”
The class meets in a school portable that housed the first SJB students in 1992. In recent years it’s been an unofficial storage shed, which meant the students’ first project was renovating their own classroom.
So far, they have knocked out a wall, reinforced the support beams, installed shelving, built a handrail, and assembled the table saw. They hope to soon have new workbenches, built by the students themselves.
“From the beginning, it was me using the power tools – but anything else that the students could do, they did it,” said Lavrik. “Slowly, the students have started taking on the jobs that are more difficult and complex, and started using the power tools.”
Woodworking teaches a different kind of discipline than academic work because it allows little room for error. Students learned that firsthand when they had to revisit sections of their renovation two or three times to get them right.
That hands-on precision also carries a deeper lesson, said Lavrik: carpentry as a gift of self. A well-made piece of furniture is “a service of charity” because it exists for the good of others and is built to last.
Students assembling a handrail. Schanaelah Rauto helps with measurements for the handrail.
There is a religious element to trades work as well. “It’s implicitly always embedded in treating each one in a Catholic sense,” Lavrik said. “Jesus taught through words and action. The words are the spoken words; the actions are what you see and learn by example, how one conducts oneself and delivers.”
Beyond the classroom, the program is already serving the school community. The woodworking students’ first major project will be to construct the set for the school’s upcoming musical Peter and the Starcatcher.
The production’s director, Lauren Gloanec, said having students build the set themselves promotes pride and collaboration. “Now we’ve got about 60 to 70 students out of the whole school working in the cast, crew, backstage, or ushering.”
Requests have already started coming in from around the school. The student-run café, The Daily Grind, has asked the woodworking students to create an ornamental piece for its wall.
“The students are working in service of other areas in the school,” said Gloanec, “which is really cool. They are creating their own space.”
