Timeless Lessons in Journeymen Program
Greenies learn the art of woodworking, how to use tools every spring
Lawrence Freeman '18 takes as much delight in the process as the finished product.
Inherently, that is one of the goals of Christ School's Journeymen program. Every day after school, Greenies get their hands dirty as they learn the art of woodworking and how to use hand and power tools from History chair Ben Dowling.
"It really feels pretty satisfying when you see something that you've built, and you know the time that has gone into it," Lawrence said. "I like the chance this gives us to build stuff, to be useful. I had some experience with it before, even if it was just handing tools to my dad. I enjoy woodworking."
In his second year, Lawrence is the captain/foreman for the Journeymen. The rest of the group includes Robert Dong '21, David Cashio '19, Simon Jones '20, Tommy Li '21, Clarke MacDonald '21, Ted Peterson '19, and James Treadaway '20.
Dowling started up the Journeymen in 2015 to share a personal interest as well as celebrate Christ School's tradition of honoring labor. The Journeymen not only build things from scratch, but repair and refurbish items.
At the moment, they are helping construct the set for Christ School Theater's spring production of "Othello."
"We start with the basics," Dowling said. "Once they've gotten a comfort level with the tools, making something for themselves is the final step. In the past, it's been things like chairs, picture frames, and toolboxes. It's great for the kids here who are looking for something to do after school that isn't a typical sports program. And they're all very eager to be directed."
Dowling thanked Leigh Harris for donating his tools for the boys to use. The Journeymen program is only offered in the spring.
