They are beautiful to the eye and pleasing to touch and hopefully several sundials, mason bee houses and a lawn swing and arbor built by Dr. Charles Best and Hillcrest middle school students will stand the test of time.
In short, they better not be vandalized.
The whimsical garden feature was expected to be installed at Mundy Park yesterday (Thursday) and the students hope they will bring joy to park-goers for years to come.
"For us, we spent a whole semester making these objects. I hope people realize that 'OK, people put time into this,' it's like having a friend, you don't want to hurt a friend," commented Filitche Hutchinson, a Grade 11 student who was one of several students who worked on the projects.
STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
The projects grew out of a City of Coquitlam endeavor to engage students and, hopefully, mitigate future vandalism after a beloved picnic shelter at the west end of the park was destroyed by fire last spring.
Coquitlam donated $2,500 for materials, including dark Brazilian Cherry Wood, Douglas Fir and Western red cedar used in construction, and was expected to hold a modest ceremony to recognize the students' work yesterday.
For the city, the project was a way of enhancing the popular park while also giving students pride of ownership. In a report to council, the city's Kurt Houlden commented that the initiative was so successful, it could be a model for future partnerships with the school and, possibly, replicated throughout School District 43.
"It provides the woodworking students with an enhanced sense of ownership and pride in their contribution to the park while providing attractive amenities for the enjoyment of park visitors," Houlden wrote.
Woodworking teacher Dave Jones agreed the projects seemed to instill a sense of pride in the students, at the same time as they developed new skills.
"I thought it would be great for the kids to get into a community project and to have that sense of accomplishment," Jones said.
LEARNING NEW SKILLS
The students also learned a lot along the way.
The four sundials were particularly tricky to make because each of the 16 segments had to be perfectly cut and fitted to create the face that would accurately track the passage of the sun. Positioning the sundial is also important, he said, as is making sure the gnomon which makes the shadow that marks the time is cut at the correct angle.
The sundials will be placed in the sunniest spots in the park: near the picnic shelter, Spani Pool, Lost Lake and the Mariner pathway.
Meanwhile, the mason bee houses made by Hillcrest students under the supervision of Dr. Charles Best students will be set up next spring while the lawn swing, cut, sanded, varnished and partially assembled, was to be erected near the re-built picnic shelters off Hillcrest Street Thursday with the help of teachers and city staff.
Once everything is in place, the garden furniture and bee houses are sure to delight, but the Charles Best students also have a message for potential vandals.
"They (the woodworking projects) should be given a little more respect," Hutchinson said.
Students who worked on the project included: Rhys Costin, Jackson Malicki, Luc Couture, Felitche Hutchinson and Kyle Jones and the teachers were Tony Papillo and Shawn House.
dstrandberg@tricitynews.com
