Teacher Gary Wellnitz helps seniors Rebecca Dowdell (center) and Brittany Lee with a project during his morning woodworking class Friday, December 4. Some of the class projects will be sold to customers outside of Cedarville, while others have been requested by teachers at the school. Teenagers are learning about entrepreneurship by designing, building, and marketing their own furniture in a Cedarville High School woodworking class. The class has now been granted its own two-hour daily time slot at the school, with a new focus on streamlining production and selling projects to benefit the financially troubled district.

"They're working their tails off to better their community and better their school," said Gary Wellnitz, the school's industrial arts teacher and leader of the effort.

Mr. Wellnitz had to do something to keep his woodworking class alive in response to budget cuts made in the district since 2004. The class was budgeted $5,000 in the past, but this year is down to $1,000. Mr. Wellnitz developed the solution to sell some woodworking projects to keep the program afloat and donate the money to the school. Thick and Thin Lumber and Maples Sawmill donate materials to aid the class, and Mr. Wellnitz cuts lumber, as well.

Justin Pollard, a junior at Les Cheneaux Community Schools, applies finish to a part of a bed during woodworking class. Mr. Pollard has taken wood shop classes since he was in eighth grade. In previous years, he would solicit orders and assign students who did not have a project idea to work on them. The projects would be scattered throughout the day in multiple classes, making the process cumbersome, Mr. Wellnitz said.

Now, a two-hour block in the morning is devoted specifically to design and construction of items for customers. While his idea has generated roughly $30,000 over the past 10 years, having a specific morning slot for customer projects has streamlined the entire process.

Seniors Trent Pitko (left) and Cody Grove construct a gun case in class Friday, December 4. Many of the projects completed are sold to drum up funding for Les Cheneaux Community Schools. The educational goal of the block is to teach students how to draft designs for the projects, how to build them, and how to market them. Students receive orders from customers and then make a scale drawing of the item. When the projects are completed, students evaluate each other on the job.

Originally, Mr. Wellnitz would present the drafts and prices to potential customers. Now, the students are starting to develop the presentations as well as calculate the prices.

"The whole idea is to get them to feel how an entrepreneur would," Mr. Wellnitz said.

Many of the students are longtime participants in the school's wood shop class. Brittany Lee, a senior, has taken the class for all of her high school career and is learning construction skills she can use later in life, plus raising money for a good cause.

"I think it's a very good idea for us to volunteer our time to help out the community and school," she said.

Justin Pollard, a junior, has taken wood shop since he was in eighth grade and enjoys the challenge wood shop offers. He once built a miniature log cabin.

"I like to try new things," he said.

Senior Rebecca Dowdell took wood shop in ninth and 10th grade and originally wanted to pursue a career in construction. Although she has changed her career path, she joined the woodworking block because she enjoys the projects.

While the students change each semester, the quality generates critical praise from customers from across Michigan.

Ken Williamson of Elk Rapids purchased a gun cabinet from the class and said he was thrilled by the quality.

"It was just outstanding," he said. "You can't buy this quality from the store."

Cristi Smith of Sault Ste. Marie purchased several pieces, including an eight-foot bookcase. The dimensions

were exactly what she wanted, and she is pleased with the comments

people make about it.

"Nobody walks into our house without commenting on it," Mrs. Smith said. "Nobody ever believes that kids made it."

Dave Proctor, a resident of Clare County and a friend of Mr. Williamson, has ordered four pieces of furniture from the class, including a gun cabinet, coffee table, and end table. Mr. Proctor believes the students create excellent pieces and said many people comment on the quality.

"Everybody is just amazed," he said. "They really like the stuff."

The class is involved in community projects, as well. Four students are replacing trim in the Clark Township Community Center in Cedarville, which presents its own challenges and lessons. While stripping the original trim, the students found some of the cement on the floor is uneven and are now working on a solution to that. Mr. Wellnitz said he explains to students that, as contractors, they would have to take such challenges into account when placing bids for work.

"I want to take them from being a worker bee to running the show," Mr. Wellnitz said.