You might say that nothing upsets a wood worker’s day more than warped wood. So the carpentry classes at FCHS are doing their best to make sure warped wood is a thing of the past. Overlooking the bus ramp, the Carpentry class–under the direction of teacher Paul Chirico– is building a wood shed to air lumber. While a shed of this size would normally cost $2,500, all the wood, trusses, gravel, concrete, and roof shingles were donated by local businesses such as Fluvanna Ace Hardware, 84 Lumber, Van Der Linde Recycling, Allied Concrete, and The Roofing Center.

The shelter is expected to be completed Nov. 1. “Specific skills [the students are learning] are understanding the difference and the importance of square, level, and plumb,” said Chirico, who has a BS degree in forestry from Virginia Tech. Eventually, the classes will also build a kiln to dry lumber and wood.

Chirico teaches both Carpentry I, which has approximately 40 students this semester and focuses on the use of hand tools and joinery, and Carpentry II, which currently has 20 students and focuses on the building trade and structures.

So far this semester, students in the Carpentry I class have built a wooden tool box and made wooden chisel mallets. Carpentry II students have made picnic tables which are being sold for $200 each. They are also building dormitory desk hutches (for approximately $75) for students planning to attend college.

Carpentry is one of the most hands-on experiences a student can get at FCHS, as well as a very practical class, since carpentry ranks 5^th among highest paid jobs for students with only a high school degree. Carpentry can open a person up to many different options in jobs, such as construction, roofing, and cabinetmaking. “I want these people in Carpentry II to have a sense of teamwork and get something complete,” said Chirico, who added that he wants them to be “able to come back later on and look at it and say ‘I built that’.”