At right (from left), VGCC President Stelfanie Williams and Dean of Business and Applied Technologies Bobby Van Brunt inspect the progress being made by Carpentry students on the gazebo they are building for Clarke Elementary School as part of a project sponsored by Vance County Farm Bureau. (VGCC photo)
Students in the Carpentry program at Vance-Granville Community College are completing a service project that will make a lasting impact on a local elementary school. A gazebo that students are building on the college’s Main Campus will soon be relocated to Clarke Elementary School in Henderson, where it will serve as an outdoor classroom. The construction is part of a unique community-wide partnership. The idea originated when retired farmer Pete Burgess of Henderson learned that Clarke Elementary, Vance County’s newest school, emphasizes Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). He recalled that a school in Caswell County had recently built an outdoor classroom with raised flower beds as a STEM project. Burgess thought something similar would be a good addition to Clarke Elementary. A member of the Vance County Farm Bureau board of directors, Burgess persuaded his fellow Farm Bureau leaders to lend the organization’s financial support to the project. Burgess set about coordinating what he envisioned as a collaborative community effort. “This thing came together just like a puzzle,” Burgess recalled. The first piece was found when the agriculture department at Southern Vance High School contributed plants for the garden from their greenhouse. Next, he saw that the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce “Leadership Vance” program was in search of a mission for its class service project. Burgess talked with Leadership Vance representatives about his project, and they agreed to fashion the raised beds. Finally, Burgess contacted Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of VGCC, and asked if the college’s Carpentry program could possibly help by building the outdoor classroom.
“It’s not often that we are able to do a community service project like this, but in this case, it worked out, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to help the community,” said VGCC Carpentry program head/instructor Keith Tunstall. “The building of the gazebo aligned very well with our instructional schedule and came at a time when the students would be learning the necessary techniques.” It was also possible because students could build the gazebo on-campus and then have it moved, just as they do each semester with actual houses. Construction of the gazebo, which measures 16 by 12 feet, took about three weeks. The students also built wooden benches to go outside the gazebo on each side. “I think it was meant to be, because it all fell into place,” Burgess said of the project. “All these different groups in the community came together to make it happen.” He said that the gazebo was very well-built and had exceeded his expectations. After inspecting the construction site, President Williams also praised the quality of the outdoor classroom. “You’re going to be making a difference for generations of elementary school students, while at the same time gaining skills for yourselves in this program that will serve you well in the workforce,” Williams said to the students.
Carpentry students who worked on the project include Cullin Butler of Durham; Jerrel Rogers, Quindarius Rainey and Walter McCaskill, all of Henderson; David Emery of Oxford; and Jake Walker of Louisburg. For more information on VGCC’s Carpentry program, call Keith Tunstall at (252) 738-3261 or (252) 213-1266.