GREENFIELD — Every day offers the chance to learn something new, and Franklin County Technical School students took advantage of this by building a cabin at Camp Kee-wanee at the end of the school year.
Carpentry instructor Michael Nobrega said the 20-by-30-foot cabin at 1 Health Camp Road is the first of three his students will build in the coming years. Camp Kee-wanee, a summer camp for children 4 to 14, was forced to demolish one of the original cabins built in 1922 because of structural deterioration.
“This project is a win-win, one nonprofit helping out another,” Nobrega said in a statement released by the school. “This is hands-on work, which is so important for the students. It’s real world trade experience. It’s helping out the local community. I’m really pleased that the students have this opportunity.”
“As a small nonprofit organization, to have a relationship with the local tech school is wonderful,” Ron Wood said. “It allows local youth come up and work on their vocation, and it gives us a price break.”
Camp Kee-wanee is one of the camps sponsored by Kiwanis International, a worldwide organization serving the needs of children through local service projects and fundraising.
This is the first project that the school has done for the camp, but there are more to come.
Franklin County Technical School carpentry, electrical, plumbing and heating, and landscaping students have in the past built houses across the county. During the school year, they began construction on a house in Erving, and will begin construction on another house in September after school resumes.
Sophomore Skylar Rouse of Bernardston said he has experience building a garage with his great-grandfather, which helped him when constructing the cabin.
“I like knowing that we’re building this for a good cause,” he said. “It’s for the camp and the kids will be able to use it.”
Brandon Wilson, a sophomore from Orange, said he prefers smaller projects, but likes building the cabin.
“This is a cool project,” he said. “I like how it came from just a couple of pillars to a nice frame. This is good experience working in the field.”
Sophomore Brooke Romanovicz said she enrolled in the Franklin County Tech Carpentry program because she enjoyed taking a woodworking course at Frontier Regional School. She hopes to be a carpenter when she graduates from FCTS.
“I like saying that I can build something,” the Conway resident said. “It’s not as hard as I thought.”
Looking ahead, Franklin County Technical School students will he involved in the building of another house in Erving and will start construction in September after school resumes.