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DENINU KU'E/FORT RESOLUTION
Ted Moes is in his seventh year as a teacher at Deninu School in Fort Resolution, but he is enjoying his work at the school more than ever.

Ted Moes, the trades shop instructor at Deninu School, relates woodworking skills to other subjects, such as math and art. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

That's because since the beginning of the last school year Moes has been instructing in the school's new trades shop, which he describes as exclusively a woodworking shop right now.

"This is really the most fun I've had since I got here, absolutely," he said.

Moes, who also teaches math and science to students in the high school grades, explained instructing in the trades shop offers him a chance to do some hands-on work, even though it is a bit of a juggling act with the other subjects he teaches.

The teacher said learning woodworking helps students in other courses.

"It's a great way to teach math because there is so much math involved," he said. "So I try to work in math concepts and show them that it's not a total waste of time to do the math, that you do need it from time to time."

The trades shop also helps develop students' aesthetic sense, which can be useful for art classes.

Moes said the trades shop is a way to help encourage students to go to school.

"It's important because it brings the kids into the school. For some kids, that's what they want to do. They want to build things," he said. "There's a great tradition in this town for people going on and being successful in the trades."

The trades shop is not the entire solution to the problem of young people not attending school, he noted. "But it's a piece of the puzzle, for sure. I can think of four or five students where having the shop here has definitely affected their attendance in a positive way."

Moes said the first thing students are taught in the trades shop is safety.

"Workplace safety is important and they have to qualify themselves on each of the pieces of equipment they work on," he said.

The equipment includes a table saw, planer, joiner, compressor, lathe, band saw, sander and drill presses.

After learning how to safely handle the equipment, the students start to learn basic structures.

"So we'll get them to build a box, but in building that box we'll teach them all the different joinery techniques and all the basic tool kit they can use to go on to more elaborate projects," Moes said.

One of the projects this year will see the students build a smokehouse outside the school.

"We're just getting it going," Moes said. "We just got the materials in."

Most of the students in the trade shop are in Grades 10 to 12.

"We probably have somewhere between 15 to 20 kids at various stages of learning their shop techniques," Moes said, noting each shop class ranges in sizes from four to eight students and another teacher does a bit of instructing, as well.

In the future, trades such as welding and small engine repair may be added to the trades shop.

However, Moes doubts he would teach those other skills.

"I don't think I would be doing it," he said. "It's not my area of expertise."Moes, who is originally from Ontario, noted he grew up building things from wood. "I built a canoe when I was 15."

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