LOW MOOR — Some children in the Alleghany Highlands will awaken on Christmas morning to a pleasant surprise, thanks to carpentry students at Jackson River Technical Center.
Christmas Mother Becky Perkins visited the center recently to receive a donation of gifts from the carpentry students. Doll beds, tool boxes, tools and figurines were handcrafted from wood by the carpentry students with children in mind. The Christmas Mother Program was started more than 70 years ago to honor Christmas by giving to families in need.
JRTC carpentry instructor Charles Fornwalt said the Christmas Mother project provided his students with hands-on learning while also teaching them to live responsibly by giving back to their community. Students are also working on flag display cases that will be given to local VFW posts for presentation to families of deceased military veterans.
“I try to do a lot of community-related projects with my students. I want to teach the kids that it’s not about receiving, it’s about giving,” Fornwalt said.
Carpentry is a three-year Career and Technical Education program offered to high school students in Alleghany Highlands Public Schools. CTE is geared to provide students with academic and technical training that’s needed to succeed in high-demand jobs. Students from CTE programs sometimes enter the workforce directly and sometimes continue their training in college or other education programs.
In the carpentry program at JRTC, students in grades 10-12 learn the principles of carpentry as they relate to construction. The classroom and lab instruction integrates safety, shop and field math needed by carpenters. Students learn to use tools, materials, fasteners, blueprints, and layout work. The students are also involved in hands-on experiences such as constructing the frame of a house, shop orders, cabinets, small buildings, and other such projects.
Fornwalt’s students made the Christmas items from donated wood. The wood was separated into pieces, run through planers to create a smooth and even surface, and glued back together to provide wider boards. The work began shortly after schools started the school year in August.
“We cut the pieces out and we designed the doll beds, and then the students started making toolboxes. They cut out little carpentry tools, the hammer, the square, and two screwdrivers,” Fornwalt said.
The stackable wooden figurines were designed from a pattern that was once featured in a woodworking magazine.
“That’s a pattern I’ve had since the 1990s,” Fornwalt said. “I made some of these figurines for my nephews years ago. I just brought them into the shop and got the students started on them. The kids just took off in making them. They really enjoyed doing all of these things for the Christmas Mother, they really did.”
JRTC’s marketing students were involved in adding final touches to the gifts.
Perkins is the 75th Christmas Mother to serve the Alleghany Highlands. She says she was delighted when she was notified to visit JRTC and receive the gifts made by the students. Perkins addressed some of the students as a group to convey her thanks and appreciation.
“What these students have done is absolutely amazing. We buy a lot of toys, but these toys are just so special because they are made from the hearts and hands of these students. Besides learning to use their hands, these students are learning to give to others. Some children who would not have Christmas will receive a special gift, and it’s all because of these students,” she said.
Jackson River Technical Center has been educating, training and preparing students for the workforce in the Alleghany Highlands since 1974. It has been part of Alleghany Highlands Public Schools since July 2022. AHPS was created when Alleghany County Public Schools, Covington City Public Schools, and JRTC merged. The combined school division serves approximately 2,700 students, and it is jointly funded by Alleghany County and the City of Covington.
AHPS news and events are regularly updated on Facebook at AHPublicSchools and Instagram at ahpublicschools. Information is also available on the division website www.ahps.k12.va.us.