NewsUpper SchoolStudent LifeFaculty/StaffService
Woodworking engages students beyond school day
Nov 1, 2002 8:00 AM
By Stefan Eady - Faculty
People might think that there is nothing new under the sun for a 98-year-old organization, but Darlington continues to defy the description of staid and boring, thanks in part to ARAMARK employee Steve Herod. Herod, with over 42 years of experience in woodworking, is leading the School’s first-ever woodworking class as an after-school activity (ASA).
Herod worked with three boys for the first eight-week session and is currently teaching four boys how to build Shaker-style, solid cherry end tables. “Students are taught how to safely use all of the tools in the workshop,” Herod said. The students have been using basic woodworking tools and are learning how to size and “glue up” lumber.
Herod teaches the students in his woodworking shop in the ARAMARK building just beyond the new girls softball field. “I hope to be able to offer an advanced woodworking class in the future for students who have already completed the beginning course,” he said. “I’ve also thought about having the kids work on a project that can be given as their contribution back to the School.”
“The boys seemed really proud of their work and most of them took their tables home over Fall Break,” Herod said. “I have always wished that I could have taught industrial arts because I remember how inspired I was by my woodworking teacher when I attended Berry Schools as a teenager. I hope I can be an inspiration to students, in some small way, just as my teacher was to me.”
“The first session of woodworking that I participated in was fun, educational, and one of the best classes I have ever taken,” Brian Albury, a freshman from the Bahamas, said.
Herod, whose father and grandfather built furniture back in the 40s, was a building contractor for a number of years before coming to work for Darlington three years ago. He attended Georgia Tech where he studied architectural engineering. For Darlington, he builds furniture mostly and does some repair work.
Herod built the trophy case in the Huffman Memorial Athletic Center, bookshelves in Home-on-the-Hill and in some school offices, and the Harkness Tables in history classrooms for Department Chair Craig Schmidt and faculty member Tim Foote.
The After-School Activities (ASA) Program offers students who are not participating in a competitive sport a variety of noncompetitive sports and activities on Monday through Thursday afternoons after school. Students may participate in baseball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, and tennis. All during the year students may choose to exercise in running programs, conditioning for the next season’s sports, aerobics, martial arts, kayaking, or weightlifting. Students may also use this time to work on a school publication, play Bridge, play in the band, join the drama program or Scholar Bowl team, work with photography or video production, or contribute to the community service program.
Herod worked with three boys for the first eight-week session and is currently teaching four boys how to build Shaker-style, solid cherry end tables. “Students are taught how to safely use all of the tools in the workshop,” Herod said. The students have been using basic woodworking tools and are learning how to size and “glue up” lumber.
Herod teaches the students in his woodworking shop in the ARAMARK building just beyond the new girls softball field. “I hope to be able to offer an advanced woodworking class in the future for students who have already completed the beginning course,” he said. “I’ve also thought about having the kids work on a project that can be given as their contribution back to the School.”
“The boys seemed really proud of their work and most of them took their tables home over Fall Break,” Herod said. “I have always wished that I could have taught industrial arts because I remember how inspired I was by my woodworking teacher when I attended Berry Schools as a teenager. I hope I can be an inspiration to students, in some small way, just as my teacher was to me.”
“The first session of woodworking that I participated in was fun, educational, and one of the best classes I have ever taken,” Brian Albury, a freshman from the Bahamas, said.
Herod, whose father and grandfather built furniture back in the 40s, was a building contractor for a number of years before coming to work for Darlington three years ago. He attended Georgia Tech where he studied architectural engineering. For Darlington, he builds furniture mostly and does some repair work.
Herod built the trophy case in the Huffman Memorial Athletic Center, bookshelves in Home-on-the-Hill and in some school offices, and the Harkness Tables in history classrooms for Department Chair Craig Schmidt and faculty member Tim Foote.
The After-School Activities (ASA) Program offers students who are not participating in a competitive sport a variety of noncompetitive sports and activities on Monday through Thursday afternoons after school. Students may participate in baseball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, and tennis. All during the year students may choose to exercise in running programs, conditioning for the next season’s sports, aerobics, martial arts, kayaking, or weightlifting. Students may also use this time to work on a school publication, play Bridge, play in the band, join the drama program or Scholar Bowl team, work with photography or video production, or contribute to the community service program.
