LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
The clamour of drills and the hum of sanders fills the workshop at Thomas Simpson Secondary School as young crafters create.

Kirby Norwegian, left, drives a screw into the substrate of the wood to secure the frame of a stool. Beside him, Brandon Hardisty breaks out the measuring tape. - April Hudson/NNSL photo

Currently, the room is packed with half-finished stools and benches - the products of long hours spent measuring, cutting and screwing wood together, making sure each piece is square and level.

Instructor Stewart Chisholm is in charge of Thomas Simpson Secondary School's in this - a trades class.

The course was introduced in January and officially started up in mid-February with weeks of safety lessons for the students.

He teaches a maximum of 10 Grade 7 to 12 students, making sure to keep them within eyesight at all times. Safety is one of the foundational principles he teaches.

Although they are currently learning the rudiments of construction, Chisholm hopes to give them a taste of electrician work - his specialty.

If all goes as planned, they may even conclude the school year by building a shed or two.

For now, the class is keeping things simple. Students help each other with their projects, working in partners for the benches and alone or in pairs for the stools.

"I picked stools and benches to start with because this way, (my students) learn to do things the correct way. From there, they can transfer those skills all the way up to building cabins," Chisholm said.

Doing things correctly is more important than doing things quickly. Before embarking on their projects, students spent two weeks learning trades "theory," as Chisholm calls it - safety practises and how to handle cutting tools and how to use fasteners.

One of the most important skills they learned was measuring.

"The reality is, not everyone will go off to university. There are so many different types of trades out there kids can take that will lead to very successful careers," Chisholm said.

"There's no limit on what they can do, as long as they learn the fundamentals."

Measuring skills, for instance, can be applied universally and are important in many trades that are unrelated to construction - such as cooking, for instance.

"If they don't have the basics, it can be harder for them to adjust. This way, they will go in with an idea of what's expected of them," Chisholm said.

Higher education can be especially daunting for Northern students, he said, who have grown up in small, isolated communities and do not want to leave home. Teaching a trades class means he can give those students a glimpse of what awaits them should they try their hand at trades schooling.

The students will take their work from basic construction to ultimately finishing their pieces into usable furniture.

Chisholm hopes when spring hits the students will be ready to turn their skills to building the foundation, rafters and framing for a 10-foot-by-10-foot shed.

Additionally, the next three weeks will be spent learning the fundamentals of electricity, which Chisholm brings his knowledge to as a journeyman electrician.

Student Delainea Anderson said some of the key skills she has learned so far include how to run woodworking machines such as sanders. She also cited measuring as an essential skill.

"I decided to try this class because of the work and things you get to build," she said.

Kirby Norwegian said his interest in the trades was initially sparked when he went on a trip to Yellowknife a couple years ago to learn more about trades.

"Everyone was very positive about (the trades," he said.

"That sparked an interest. It was like shining a light in a dark room."

Ideally, Norwegian said, he'd like to try his hand as a blacksmith and perhaps someday create his own sword.

For now, he is content to learn construction.

"Building stuff is really cool, and if I finish my work early I get to work on my own things," he said.