TURNERS FALLS — When Kringle Candle wanted a bigger, better addition to their outdoor lawn furniture, they knew exactly who to contact — Franklin County Technical School.
While the carpentry program was busy working on a house-building project, the Pre-Employment Program (PEP) students took it upon themselves to craft the giant chair that now sits prominently in front of the candle company, which supplied the students with all of the funds for the chair materials.
The Pre-Employment Program teaches pre-vocational skills, life skills and academics to students with disabilities.
Nathan May, director of pupil personnel services and special education, spoke on behalf of the students and their recently completed project.
“Students and teachers designed the chair from top to bottom, start to finish,” he said.
Mike Therrien, instructor for computer aided design (CAD) and Phil Foisy, PEP shop liaison and instructor, guided students through the process, including the design and building of the chair.
According to Therrien, the project took several weeks to complete. Therrien and several of his upperclassmen carpentry students constructed the chair while Foisy and his students did all sanding, prepping and painting.
He estimates that 15 to 20 students altogether had a hand in building the chair.
Kringle Candle only specified that they wanted an oversized Adirondack chair — the rest of the design was up to students.
The chair was brought to Kringle Candle with the help of the carpentry shop and maintenance department, and was assembled on site. It stands at 12 feet tall, almost six feet wide and is about 10 feet across at the base.
“It is really magnificent,” May said. “It’s a laudable achievement and it’s really nice to be able to give back to the community.”
PEP students will gather at Kringle Candle next week to place a plaque at the chair, commemorating their hard work.
“This was just a great opportunity to connect and partner with a wonderful business in the area,” May said.
Reach Christie Wisniewski at:
cwisniewski@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 280