Going big at North Dundas District High School
NDDHS Technology Teacher Ray Bougie guided four Grade 12 students in the building of a life-sized shed that has been donated to the Upper Canada Shed Company. This is the first of many more large-scale projects to come for the construction students. From left, Joey Williams, Brandon Cox, Logan Lacasse, Tyler Cole, Upper Canada Shed Company’s Ken Clauson and Teacher Ray Bougie prepare for the shipment of the shed from the NDDHS classroom. The four students will head to the Eastern Ontario Skills Competition on Feb. 21.      Sawyer Helmer photo

Kalynn Sawyer Helmer
Record Staff
CHESTERVILLE – In the 54 years that North Dundas District High School has been around, the Woodshop has never had an overhead door. Last year, when Technology Teacher Ray Bougie was asked if there was anything the department could use, Bougie said the doors would make for a great opportunity for the students.

Over the summer his wish became a reality. The doors were put into place in the wall that connects the Woodshop to the Manufacturing shop. Projects can therefore be built in the Woodshop and travel through the two rooms to be loaded and shipped.

“The doors allow the students to work on more hands-on and realistic projects,” said Bougie. The first large scale project began in the first semester this year. Bougie asked his students who would be interested in participating and four of his seniors stepped up. Tyler Cole, Brandon Cox, Logan Lacasse and Joey Williams set aside personal projects and spent their semester building an 8×12 fully functioning shed with two sliding windows and double doors.

The project took about 55 hours of building time, three days a week for 18 weeks, all while the other class time hours were dedicated to theory and studying. The Upper Canada Shed Company’s William Armstrong provided all of the materials and pneumatic tools needed. The students presented and handed off the keys to the shed on Fri., Feb. 9, at NDDHS to Ken Clauson from the Upper Canada Shed Company.

For the next project, Bougie hopes to try something a little more difficult and even suggested the building of chicken coops for the High Skills Major-Agriculture. Though the coops would provide a challenge, Bougie was confident his students could get the job done –especially having already seen the younger students inspired by this first life-size project completed by the four seniors.

Those four senior students will head to St. Lawrence College in Cornwall for the Eastern Ontario Skills Competition qualifier on Feb. 21. At the competition, the students will have from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. to build a 4×8 structure. The winners will move on to the main competition in Toronto.

Other NDDHS students participating in the skills competition in other areas include: AST – Christopher Cotton and Joseph Seguin; Drama team of four – Emily Copper, Brooke Richards, Maddison Quesnel, Cami Potvin, Jamie Wilson, Veronica Thompson, Willow Girard, Jacob Sinclair, Erika Shuttle, Oliver Workman Suttle, Madison Hart and Mackenzie Moisan; Small engines – Brandon Toll; Welding – Dylan Wattie; Cabinet making – Jeremy Gutknecht; Individual carpentry – Dylan Barkley; Carpentry team of 2 – James Drynan and Zacharie Gutknecht.