Apr 1

Apr 1 NTN Projects Plan For Completion Once Point Arena Schools Re-Open

Before the recent school closure, PAHS students were given one class period, every school-day except Wednesday, to explore a topic that interested them.

Since last August, that chance was provided by PAHS’s project-based learning plan, the core of the NTN model. All 124 PAHS students have chosen a project or a series of projects to work on. Most students can say, “This is what I chose to learn!”

Here are a few of those projects, which, once school starts up again, will be nearing completion.

Brandon Huse and Eric Estrada:

Trick-out an aluminum boat

Last semester, Brian and Eric designed a line of bass fishing lures to use in tournaments held by the Lake County Fishing Club. Their lures worked! This semester they’ve raised the ante: they’re turning an aluminum boat into a fully rigged bass boat.

Their second-hand aluminum boat and 15-horsepower motor were given to them by Richard O’Neil, President of Tom’s Plumbing, Inc. of Gualala.

“We’re going to trick it out in every way!” said Brian.

James Ritchie:

Design and weld an aquarium stand

Whether James becomes an architect or welder or both, he is known for pursuing his interests. Last semester, he helped re-design and weld metal parts to a broken and stripped-down go-cart which his NTN team pulled out of a trash can.

This semester he designed and has begun to weld parts to a 30” tall x 24” wide x 48” long, steel stand for his salt-water fish aquarium. He found all parts all parts second hand.

His community mentor is Bill Stokem, retired metal worker and PAHS Maintenance manager. “James drew to scale exactly what he’s making, including foot details. He’s tackling the work from top to bottom, welding it up. He catches on really quickly. He has learned to wire feed weld in a circular motion; work that could take nine hours, he’s doing in an hour.”

Next project? James said, “I’d like to build some kind of mechanical contraption, maybe a model helicopter?”

Jonathan Milian Garcia and

Jasmine Moreles, with mentor

Roger Dingman:

Make two Bokkens (Japanese wooden swords)

The Bokken is a traditional sword used for training Samurai warriors. Because they’re made of wood, they’re designed to lessen the damage caused by training with steel swords.

“We chose this project because we like the culture,” said Jasmine, who emphasized they were sticking to the traditional design as much as possible.

Their mentor, Gualala resident and retired contractor, Roger Dingman, taught them the necessary wood working skills, including measuring dimensions, cutting, and wood gluing.

Roger, who graduated from PAHS in ‘71, is enthusiastic about the project. “Once I show them, they get it. They’re motivated. It’s not like when I was in high school and had an assigned project. They’re interested in the project. It’s something of their own creation.”

A first-time mentor and an EduAct volunteer, he says he helps because he’s having fun.

“When I was in school, the teachers assumed you liked a class. Your desires didn’t matter. Now, kids pick up something they’re interested in. They’re motivated.”

Vannesa Spencer:

Build a beehive, learn beekeeping

“I wanted a hobby because I’m always indoors,” said Vanessa. “I decided to learn how to build a beehive and learn about bees.” So, she bought a beehive kit online and asked her father to help assemble it.

Building the beehive from online parts worked but took its toll. “My father did a lot of the construction, but the hive was really heavy. We built it outside on a tile table. The beehive ended up breaking our tile table. Luckily, we own a tile company!”

Vanessa’s honeybees, which she also purchased online, should be arriving about now.

Luckily, she said, her mentor, Benjamin Brown, M.D., founder of Gualala’s Pacific Coast Herb Company, sister company to Pacific Coast Ayurveda, is an experienced beekeeper!

Taylor Holguin, mentor Shanna Lee, Alison Spangler and

Mariana Moreles Vazquez:

Design, build, and paint a large mural

They wrote the grant for supplies, collaborated on the purchase order, primed the marine plywood, and were learning the grid system to transfer the design to a larger surface when school closed.

This was a collaboration of three students who have been friends since second grade.

The three wrote the successful grant application to the Redwood Coast Education Foundation which paid for supplies.

Their mentor, Shanna Lee, PAHS art teacher, worked with them on composition, color schemes, and the initial transfer of their image to the plywood.

The three, 4’x8’ panels, will be painted with their composition of the Point Arena Lighthouse and Pacific Ocean, and will be placed on the exterior, south west facing wall of the school’s art room.

“We’re hoping that’ll happen this summer,” said Shanna, “after the wall is painted.”

Navara Harper, Kalina Fisher,

and mentor Shelley Field:

Learn how to make chocolate truffles

Navara and Kalina were interesting in learning how to make chocolate truffles. They needed an expert to show them because chocolate truffles aren’t easy to make.

Chocolate truffles are bite-size chocolate confections made from ganache, a mixture of melted chocolate and warmed cream, cooled until firm, rolled, and coated with chocolate, cocoa powder or chopped nuts.

“We wanted to learn how to make them properly,” said Navara.

They approached Franny Burkey, owner of Franny's Cup & Saucer in Point Arena. She connected them to Shelley Field, owner of Mendocino’s artisan chocolate company, Wicked Bonbon.

Shelley, a master chocolatier, helped them with their first batch and introduced them to some of the physical and chemical aspects of chocolate.

Next project? Navara said, “We’d like to learn how to make hazelnut peanuts!”

Once school re-opens!