Victor J. Andrew High School’s woodshop is full of young students sanding and finishing, gluing and assembling, but that is not all that is happening in this early morning session. There is also the sounds of friendships and signs of inclusion between groups that might not ordinarily spend time together. 

Through a partnership between the school’s woodworking program and its teenage students and the young men and women in the Ultima Program, the traditional shop has transformed into an experience built on leadership, collaboration, and connection. 

The Ultima Program is a specialized educational program within the Special Services Department for students with significant cognitive, developmental, and specialized learning needs. 

Jeffrey Cassidy, woodworking instructor, said the program is designed to foster independence and provide students with opportunities to practice real-life skills and build social and emotional ability.

Throughout the room, the more experienced woodworking students are guiding those in Ultima. In one area a student rests his hand on the others to guide them through sanding a board. 

In another area, Kareem Shehab, a student in the Ultima Program, discusses woodworking with Brandon Steele, a student in the traditional woodworking class.

Shehab said that he is enjoying working with wood since he began training in the wood shop in October. This is his first time working with wood, and so far, his favorite woodworking activity is gluing, which he learned while working on assembling a chessboard. “I like gluing,” Shehab said. “I like the gluing it together, and letting it dry off, and then cleaning it afterwards.”
Shehab said that he might be able to work with wood in the future. “I’m learning. It’s like training,” he said. “I may do it [in the future]. Because if anybody can do it, I can do it.”

Steele, an aspiring electrician, has woodworking experience both in the classroom and in woodshops at his family’s home and at his grandfather’s woodshop. He joined the training program after Cassidy asked if he’d be interested in participating because of his experience. “You need to have a certain level of experience in working with wood because you’re helping kids who are brand new to the hobby. Most of them have never even done any woodworking before. You need to be able to teach them how you glue up your project, how you sand it, how you fill holes with wood putty. Things like that.” 

Steele, who said his favorite woodworking activity is working with a lathe,  added that he has gotten a lot out of working with the Ultima students. 

“A lot of the time you’re not in classes with special needs students, so it’s a good way to get to know them and showcase your communication skills and to be able to work with them and teach them what your hobby is and maybe get them involved with it, too.”

Breaking bread
The students are collaborating on projects centered around a special theme: “Breaking Bread.” 

Cassidy said that the class focused on the basics of woodworking to craft cutting boards and charcuterie boards. The cutting board project involves precise sawing, gluing, clamping, sanding, oiling, and finishing.  

The collaboration was extended to the school’s culinary program. The students visited the culinary classes to bake together and the partnership will culminate in a bake sale featuring the cutting boards and baked goods. 

One of the showcase pieces made in the Ultima woodshop program is a multi-species table that will be used for the bake sale. The table top features padauk, walnut, oak, and poplar, and will be finished with Walrus cutting board oil.

“We are emphasizing not only making and eating food, but the shared experiences that happen around it,” Cassidy said. “That’s what the Ultima and Woods Collective is all about.”