The vessel they build not only serves as a mechanism for learning, but will also provide one grateful outdoorsman with an inexpensive recreational vehicle. In the shop sits the canoe. Students have been working on it since last September, and the white pine Peterborough canoe with seats made of ash is well on its way to being completed.
Tasks vary from day to day, the builders say, and it is far from white-collar work.
Much of the labor is physically tiring, according to Kathryn. When he received a book for his birthday which described the process, his interest was sparked. He discussed the idea with then-principal Kathryn Crockett, who approved of the endeavor. Lussier's Sawmill in Berkshire donated the cedar wood used to build the first canoe, which students worked on from December through June of the 1993-94 school year. Mr. Dubilier said he and his wife, Alison, get positive comments every time they take it out.