***This article was written by Aundrea Serna, a participant of The Kewanee Voice Student Journalism Program, funded by the Harry Anderson Memorial Trust.
For the second year, carpentry students at Wethersfield High School will be building and selling picnic tables for the local community.
The project gives students hands-on experience with using the tools and woodworking skills while creating something practical and valuable for families.
Each table is eight feet long, with options of treated for $185 or cedar tone for $250. Anyone interested in purchasing a table can reach out by emailing trill@geese230.com.
The project is designed primarily for learning and community benefit rather than profit. According to Jeremy Trill, the school’s carpentry instructor, “We only charge enough to cover the cost, so there isn’t really any extra money. It’s just a project for people in the community and for students to learn to build things and learn to use tools.”
Last year, students built seven or eight tables, and this year, two have already been ordered, with hopefully more expected as the students continue their hard work.
These picnic tables benefit the town by providing reliable, high-quality, handmade tables at a lower cost than those found in big-box stores.
