N.H. senior honored for wooden oil lamp
High school students receive several awards for taking part in New England woodworking design competition Nearly $7,000 in cash awards and other prizes were presented to high school students at…
High school students receive several awards for taking part in New England woodworking design competition
Nearly $7,000 in cash awards and other prizes were presented to high school students at the fifth annual New England Student Woodworking Design Competition, sponsored by Mount Wachusett Community College's Forest and Wood Products Institute in Gardner, Mass.
This year's competition drew more than 70 entries from 21 high schools.
Justin Doherty, a senior at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, N.H., won first place for "Turned Inside Out," an oil lamp turned from black walnut and spalted hard maple. He received $500, presented by iLevel/Weyerhaeuser Corp. of Bedford, N.H., plus $250 in lumber from Olesak Lumber of Westfield, Mass.
Will Barstow, a junior at U-32 High School in Montpelier, Vt., took second place for a Baltimore Federal-style card table, which featured intricate inlays of bellflowers and thistle ovals. Barstow received $300, presented by the Keiver-Willard Lumber Co. of Newburyport, Mass.
Patrick Scarpulla, a senior at Wiscasset High School in Wiscasset, Maine, placed third for a walnut and maple sofa table. Scarpulla received $250, presented by the New England Chapter of the Architectural Woodwork Institute.
The rest of the top 10 included Colby Pooler, a senior at Pinkerton Academy; Chris Mawby, a senior at Salem High School in Salem, N.H.; Destiny Desroches, a junior at Winnisquam High School in Tilton, N.H.; Mike Spiak, a senior at Londonderry High School in Londonderry, N.H.; Steven Izen, a junior at Belmont Hill School in Belmont, Mass.; Tim Mee, a junior at Belmont; and Tory McGilvray, a sophomore at Plymouth South High School in Plymouth, Mass.
The judges were David Sargent of Sargent Wood Products Inc. in Gardner, Mass; Jack Haley of J. Haley Woodworking in Sterling, Mass.; Guy Biechele of Shaker Workshops in Ashburnham, Mass.; Phil Young of Phil Young Woodworking in Westminster, Mass.; and Scott Bridge and Jock Snaith of Bridge & Snaith Cabinetmakers in Fitchburg, Mass.
Sargent, a judge since the competition began, says this year's show was the strongest he's seen in terms of number of entries and quality of workmanship. "There were a lot of highly original items. It's good to see this level of involvement and skill at the high school level," he says.
The yearly competition is hosted with support from the Wood Products Manufacturers Association and WoodLINKS USA.
Contact: Mount Wachusett Community College, 444 Green St., Gardner, MA 01440. Tel: 978-632-6600. www.mwcc.mass.edu
