Middle School Students Display their Penny Checkers Project

Learning a lifelong lesson in wood shop

ONEKAMA — Tight school budgets have forced many schools to eliminate shop classes, but the Onekama Consolidated School district still sees the importance of teaching those skills.

Vocational education classes are severely lacking in most school districts today due to state mandated changes that require students to take a certain amount of core curriculum courses. It leaves many students without the opportunity to take elective courses like wood shop, automotive technology, metal shop and culinary arts.

The lack of those offerings is creating a shortage of skilled workers in those areas. Business and industry leaders are calling for schools to provide more of that training so the workforce will have skilled tradesmen for the future.

Onekama schools still maintains a wood shop class both at the middle and high school levels. The classes are taught by retired wood shop teacher Rex Toelle, who has taught for many years at the Manistee Area Public Schools

Principal Gina Hagen said the program has been a good one for the district.

“Our focus is so much on the core curriculum, but if you take wood shop and break it down you are hitting so many of those aspects,” he said. “The students use math, science and even English as students have to be able to describe their project and read what they are working on to take it to the next level. It is skills they are going to be able to use forever.”

Toelle gives the students some hands-on learning in working with wood products. It is a class that benefits those with an interest in the construction business, but also those who don’t plan to go into that field of work.

“The critical thinking skills it takes from raw material to finished product is an important skill for students to learn,” said Toelle. “It is good to see that Onekama schools supports elective classes that will help to prepare students to work in the construction industry. This year we made a penny checker box as our project.”

The introductory program focuses on the middle school students at Onekama Schools. It is an age when students are still formulating what career path they would like to follow.

“This is a nine-week exploratory class that is open to all middle school students,” said Toelle. “The course is designed to give the students a broad variety of experiences and knowledge in the field of wood construction. These are the future craftsman and builders for tomorrow.”

Projects were Displayed in the Upper Hallway

1st 9 weeks project
Onekama Middle School

Wood shop is an exploratory class and  is open to all 6th, 7, and 8th graders. The course is designed to give the  student a broad variety of experiences  and knowledge in the field of wood  construction. These are the future  craftsman and builders for tomorrow.  This year’s project is a penny checker  board and storage box.

~Onekama Middle School index
~Photos by Mr. Toelle

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