Riverdale students launch prize-winning canoe
The air was steamy and the water calm when five Grade 11 students from Riverdale High School in Pierrefonds-Roxboro gathered at the shore in Parc de l’Île de Roxboro with teacher Peter Oland and guidance counsellor Ian Spencer, last week.
Spencer floated offshore in his red kayak, waiting, while a glistening, 15-foot Prospector canoe built by 80 woodworking students over two years was slipped into the waters of Rivière des Prairies for its maiden voyage.
“Who’s coming with me to see if this thing floats,” Oland joked.
Sixteen-year-old Moses Spielman stepped forward, tentatively.
“I’ve never been in a canoe before,” Spielman said.
Oland talked him through the process, explaining how to manoeuvre the shiny paddle, also made by the students.
“At first I was nervous. I thought I was going to fall into the water,” Spielman said, once back on solid ground. “But it felt really smooth. The butterflies went away.”
Two years ago, woodworking, English and history teacher Oland asked his woodworking students if they would like to work on a group project. Woodworking class normally involves fashioning individual projects. Grade 10 students, for example, make Adirondack chairs.
“I thought of the canoe project because I wanted them to do something that would link with the history of the rivers and lakes in this country. You find canoes everywhere,” Oland said.
The project also aligned with the Lester B. Pearson School Board’s push to encourage what is called deeper learning, a process which engages the six Cs — character, creativity, critical thinking, communication, collaboration and citizenship.
The students worked in teams, cutting, gluing, clamping and sanding. Hours and hours of sanding.
“I remember sanding 75 minutes straight, by hand,” Spielman said.
The canoe is made of western red cedar, ash and teak, took more than 150 hours to complete and was supported financially by the Community Learning Centre (which partners schools with community organizations) and the Quebec Entrepreneurship Contest.
The students were rewarded for their efforts with a $5,000 prize from the OS Entreprendre Challenge. OS Entreprendre encourages innovation and creativity in Quebec. The money will be used to finance a second canoe, the purchase of a 3D printer and the planning of engineering-geared initiatives at the school, which combine elements of robotics, woodworking and computer programming.
Last week, Ben Goldman, Jake Applebaum and Curtis Roberts, all 17 years old, plus 16-year-old Brady Mendelson each took a turn in the canoe after Spielman’s return.
Riverdale’s woodworking program is one of only two in the Lester B. Pearson School Board.
“Once the students overcome their fear of the equipment and of making mistakes, there is a great sense of pride for accomplishing something, even if it’s just building a small box,” Oland said.