WTHS Students Craft Door Mats from Salvaged Gymnasium Bleachers
The sawdust was flying and the high-pitched buzz of table saws, sanders and other power tools filled the Washington Township High School shop room where Mike Hudock’s first-year Materials Processing and Production Systems students recently were handcrafting history.
When the decision was made two years ago to replace the original and aging bleachers that had been in use since the 1960s in the school’s 11-12 gymnasium, athletic director Kevin Murphy encouraged Hudock to have at the 10-foot planks of varnished pine for anything he could find a use for. Twenty-four months later, the stockpile of lumber has dwindled and the end of Hudock’s 36-year teaching career is in sight. The culminating project – handcrafted wooden sunrise door mats – is both cost-effective (a single plank could cost $20 at today’s prices) and sentimental and will be completed prior to Hudock’s retirement in December.
“We got a pretty good load of lumber out of the gymnasium, and we’ve used it for several projects over time,” Hudock said. “This year, I chose to make these basic floor mats, a project that I discovered back in the 1990s in a magazine. With this project, the kids get a good example of how to use a lot of the material equipment machines, plus we are recycling the lumber rather than having it cut up and thrown out.”
Eighteen students in the class have been working with the lumber, mass producing the sunrays that will fan out from a rising sun on the horizon - cutting, sanding, jointing and drilling components that eventually will be fastened with wire and stained with a hue or coloration of their choice. The completed mats eventually may welcome visitors to their own homes.
“The kids have really taken a liking to this project,” Hudock said. “They have enjoyed learning about the machine processes and working with this beautiful wood that is more than 50 years old and has stood the test of time. They, and everyone who enters their homes, will be stepping on a piece of this school’s history.”
The project is symbolic of Hudock’s hands-on approach to learning, his love of the trades and his desire to grow the interest and talents of his students. When he arrived at WTHS, the school offered 16 woodworking classes. Today there are six, yet there is still a need for carpenters and tradesmen. If he can lead a student or two in that noble direction, then he feels fulfilled.
“As technology elective teachers, we are always trying to give kids the opportunity to get involved and to get exposure to what the woodworking and material trades have to offer, whether it be as a career or a hobby,” he said. “We have hooked them into what we are doing, and I think they are getting a quality education. We’re teaching across the curriculum. They have to know how to read and do math. They have to be part of a team. We teach them the importance of psycho-motor skills, taking cognitive information- like terms, definitions and facts – and using them to work with their hands. We teach them how to do something productive with materials, power tools, hand tools and machines so they can be independent thinkers and problem solvers, skills that will help them in whatever profession they land.
“I have really enjoyed the career I have had here,” added Hudock, who also has forged relationships with students as a long-time senior class advisor. “I have had so many great kids come through my program. I hope they have learned a thing or two.”
Without question, Mr. Hudock has spent nearly four decades reinforcing reading and math, emphasizing safety and practical operational knowledge, and encouraging creativity and quality craftsmanship. And as his parting gift, he is delivering hands-on history of a place that will stay with him long after the sawdust settles.
WTHS freshman Daniel Guetens works a drill press while teacher Mike Hudock gives instruction.
Senior Crisologo Mananggit sands down pieces of his door mat.
Senior William Roland consults with Mike Hudock about the production of his project.
Freshman Brian Frett uses a table saw to create the rays of his door mat.