Sea crates harbour hounds
Students learn house-building techniques using recycled wood
Beth Brown
Northern News Services
Monday, December 12, 2016
UQSUQTUUQ/GJOA HAVEN
This year the sealift - at least, what's left of it -is going to the dogs. High school students at Qiqirtaq Ilihakvik are building 15 dog houses out of material recycled from 39 sea crates.
Gjoa Haven student Ikey Bolt hammers pieces of a dog house being built for community canines. - photo courtesy of Emma Pauloosie |
"It's the largest order we have ever received," said Ron Klein, the school's shop teacher.
The high number of sea crates comes following school renovations - an upgrade that included a new woodworking, welding and machine shop.
"It makes the project possible and even much better projects," said Klein. "If we were in the old shop we wouldn't have room.
"It's like a zoo," with the kids all working in here, he said.
Around 30 students, in Grades 10 to 12, are building the houses.
The students started on the canine spaces around two months ago. As many as five of the houses already have future homeowners for family pets.
The rest will be donated to dogs who don't have a roof over their heads.
It's the first time the school has built dog houses, but Klein said he chooses all shop projects to teach transferable skills.
"They're being taught how to construct the framing for a house, through the process of building the doghouses.
"They learn how to construct proper walls, doorways, the roof."
The houses measure around 43 feet by 33 feet, said Klein, or big enough for the average husky.
The young woodworkers started with safety training, and dismantling the sea crates.
Now they are learning about joints and angles, how to measure out studs and create frames.
Klein, who worked in trades prior to being a teacher, often has tradespeople come in to talk to his students about future career options.
The classes won't prepare students for a full-time trade, but they provide a space for trying out different options and projects, said Klein.
"It gets them on the path to make a choice. Down the road it gives them that option."
Three quarters of the new work space is a wood shop, he said, and then the rest is taken up by a small-engine machine shop and welding shop.
The new shop has a full extraction system for dust and top-of-the-line tools. Last year, the school was able to offer its first welding program.
Projects like these also help keep students excited about attending classes, said principal Emma Pauloosie.
That said, attendance is still an issue and the houses being built are all in different stages of completion.
In past, students have built shelves, stools and TV stands, almost always from scrap material.
"I'm impressed with the products they have created," said Pauloosie. "They also build little drawers and jewelry boxes. Now they are moving on to bigger projects like the dog houses."
She said the next project on the the school's big-idea list is to build a tiny home with the students.
The project would help to increase math skills and offer youth the opportunity to learn the basics of plumbing and electrical work.
