GREENFIELD — Franklin County Technical School students have nearly completed the first of three cabins they plan to build for Camp Kee-Wanee in Greenfield.
Just one week before the end of the school year, nearly a dozen ninth- and 10th-grade carpentry students proudly wrapped up the construction of the cabin after starting the project last May. The project is part of the school’s mission toward community service.
While the project began last year, the students took a break over the summer and ended up taking on another project. They returned to the cabin project in February.
“We committed to completing this project this year, and we met our deadline,” Carpentry Instructor Michael Nobrega said.
The cabin is 20 by 30 feet and replaces an old cabin that had to be torn down due to deterioration.
While the ninth-graders were too young to be on the job site, they contribute by making shutters and doors for the cabin in their shop back at the tech school. Then, 10th-graders built the cabin from the floor to roof.
“In four months, they took it from basically a floor to a completed cabin,” Nobrega said. “We had to push to get this done, but we have good crew leaders.”
He also added that some of the students already come from construction backgrounds.
This is the first project the school has done for Camp Kee-Wanee, but students will build more cabins in the coming years.
“We are hopeful this is the beginning of a long-term partnership benefiting the education of vocational students while providing for the needs of younger children,” Nobrega said.