Thanks to a successful partnership with Eastern Suffolk BOCES, Mattituck High School can now foster the next generation of North Fork carpenters right in their backyard.
School district and ESBOCES officials, local representatives, students and family members gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Tuesday to celebrate the revival of a Carpentry/Residential Construction and Home Improvement program, which will operate from the MHS science, technology, engineering and mathematics wing.
Enrollment in career and technical education courses at ESBOCES has consistently increased over the past five years. Superintendent Shawn Petretti said there has been a growing interest among Mattituck students as well. Many of them attend these courses at the Eastern Long Island Academy of Applied Technology campuses in Riverhead or Bellport, he said, noting that the travel makes it a “tremendous commitment.”
“Having the ability to bring something home and provide this opportunity here for students on the North Fork allows them to participate,” Mr. Petretti said. “Our enrollments are dropping and we’re very keen on the struggles to living and raising a family on the North Fork, and we want to expose our students to different trades, so they have the opportunity to be successful financially here on the North Fork.”
Juniors and seniors can opt to take the half-day afternoon program for one or two years. Throughout the course, students can earn high school and college credits as well as various industry certifications — all of which can help them if they attend college or jump right in to the workforce. The Mattituck program is also open to students from the Southold, Greenport and Shelter Island school districts.
The addition of the BOCES carpentry course is just one aspect of the school’s increased focus on technical education, as well as a way to address labor shortages and the need for skilled carpenters on the North Fork. Students receive hands-on technical training from industry professionals to prepare them to meet the demands in the local economy when they are ready to start their trade careers.
Through the Academy’s business and industry network, students will also have access to internships, class trips, professional demonstrations and more.
Scott Edgett, president and co-founder of North Fork Woodworks, offered his company’s mentorship to the carpentry students and reflected on when he was in their very shoes. A graduate of Mattituck High School and ESBOCES, Mr. Edgett remembered that his younger self did not fit the traditional academic mold and struggled with what he described as “conventional” education.
However, he said, after watching the home improvement series “This Old House” as a 13-year-old, he was hooked by the creativity behind construction and building. He support from multiple teachers along the way and credited them for leading him to the BOCES carpentry program, which ultimately propelled him into his construction career.
He learned valuable technical skills, of course, but he also learned the networking competencies associated with the trade: that a person’s integrity on the job is paramount, and that their reputation is built on their quality of work, their treatment of and communication with clients, the industry connections they make and the way they conduct themselves in the field. These skills can’t be taught in a traditional classroom setting, and instead require the much more hands-on approach to learning, which the carpentry workshop offers.
“For the first time, I was in a classroom where I truly belong,” Mr. Edgett recalled. “Surrounded by sawdust and tools, completely engaged in every lesson, each day brought new challenges and skills to master.”
Mr. Edgett’s son, also Scott, is a junior at Mattituck High School and has crafted his own passion for carpentry. So far, he and his classmates have worked on several projects, including organizing a space called “The Barn” by building two new shelving units, a metal stock cabinet for the school’s tech department, a shed for extra storage space and set pieces for the school’s theater program. Next year, the students will collaborate on a major project: a 25-by-8-foot trailer on wheels that will become a tiny home, which the school plans to put up for auction once finished.
“I started working with my dad two years ago during the summers and I really enjoyed it,” Scott said. “I was super happy that they made a BOCES here, so I didn’t have to go all the way to Bellport. I’m really excited to see how this works out.”
Adam Tesoro, BOCES carpentry instructor, commended the students for their hard work and dedication to their craft. He also stressed that the group only started the course around six weeks ago and has already produced some impressive projects.
“There’s magic happening here every day,” Mr. Tesoro said. “[These] rock stars [are] focused in. In a world that’s filled with distraction, [they] hit it heavy, and they are making their points way ahead of the learning curve.”