For more than 75 years, the Carpentry (CA) program at North Bennet Street School (NBSS) has utilized the Sloyd method of trades education to train generations of carpenters. This year we are working harder than ever to reconnect with the decades of craftspeople that have graduated from NBSS Carpentry and remain connected to our alums and our industry partners.
Welcome to the first issue of our Carpentry Digest, which will be a periodic newsletter from the CA program to our current students, alumni, and partners. This newsletter is written by the CA department faculty for our people. We will focus on issues important to the department curriculum and hope that you, our readers, will take the time to respond and stay connected. Thank you for opening and responding to this inaugural edition. We hope this newsletter is informative and helps you connect more closely to NBSS.
Peter Smith PC ’04
Carpentry Department Head
What We're Working On
For those of you who haven’t visited us in a while, I wanted to give you a brief overview of how the curriculum is being applied these days. The year is loosely broken down into three phases:
Spring Client Project: Real world application of skills learned throughout the year
Our sheds, which we sell each year, are a perfect introduction to framing and residential style construction. We include just enough architectural detailing to make them challenging while ensuring they cover the basics. Bennet Town is our interior construction phase of the program and provides a space for stair construction, installing and scribing of cabinets, and interior trim installation. Finally, we spend the majority of the spring semester working for a client building garages, additions, remodeling kitchens and bathrooms, and experiencing all the realities of working on a project for paying clients.
During the spring semester, students also have the opportunity to participate in the Field Practicum, in which students are paired with participating construction companies to spend a week or two on company sites. The Field Practicum often leads to full-time employment with the participating companies.
In addition to these major phases of the carpentry curriculum, CA students also spend time learning Sketchup modeling, building science, plan reading, architectural history, and a myriad of other crucial topics throughout the year. Through feedback from graduates, our Program Advisor Committee (PAC) members, and industry partners, we continue to adapt and develop the curriculum to meet today’s ever changing residential construction industry. In fact, we want to hear from all of you reading this newsletter. Please go to the “Connect With Us” form where you can provide feedback to the faculty regarding our curriculum, potential projects, and connections to your companies. Please take a moment or two to reconnect with NBSS!
What did you do before coming to NBSS? A Marine Corporal working in transportation, then I became a long haul truck driver for seven years.
What will you be doing after graduation? I’ve been accepted to the Preservation Carpentry Program. My long term goal is to build a business and apply the knowledge gained from the coursework and hands on experience from NBSS.
Favorite part of the curriculum? Flooring, siding, and roofing; once you have the measurements in place, it comes together quickly, and there's an incredible transformation of the building aesthetically.
Eric Zankowski CA ’13
Where are you currently working? Cabinet maker and finish carpenter when not working as a PM/Lead for Mitchell Construction Group in Medfield, MA.
What brought you to NBSS? I studied Mathematics in college and wanted to pivot my career away from daily office/computer work and into something less abstract and more hands-on.
What has kept you in the carpentry / construction field? I love the work and the School helped foster my curiosity and desire to keep learning more about it.
What do you enjoy when not working? Playing music and snowboarding all over New England.
Industry Partner Spotlight
Building Center (or BC) is an outstanding lumber yard with locations in Gloucester and Essex, Massachusetts. BC staff including CFO Tim Hauff, Outside Sales agent Jarrod Silva, and our very own graduate Hilary Forbes CA ’23 have become integral supporters of NBSS Carpentry. BC is our supplier for all projects north and west of Boston as well as curriculum components at the NBSS campus in the North End. Beyond just a purveyor of high quality building materials, BC is also a host for one of CA’s annual lumber yard visits. Starting this year, the Building Center has also become a financial stakeholder by donating to NBSS to directly support the program and our students.
Please join us in patronising the Building Center and supporting amazing local lumber yards!
Employer Spotlight
Platt Builders based in Ayer, MA has become a major supporter of the Carpentry program in the past few years as employer and Field Practicum partner. Platt is a high end building and remodeling company with in-house cabinetry and painting services. Thanks to the hard work of former President Halsey Platt and Director of HR Jill Trotter, Platt has hosted half a dozen students over the past few years in our Field Practicum program as well as currently employing seven graduates of NBSS. We thank Halsey, Jill, and the whole team at Platt or their continued support!
Platt has joined several other great companies such as Columbia Construction, F.H. Perry Builder, Feinmann Inc., Adams & Beasley, Building Center, and Anderson & McQuaid as not only employers of students and graduates, but also as financial donors to our department through the School’s Partners In Craft program. If your company is interested in becoming a Partner In Craft, please contact our Director of Institutional Support, Annie Hayes at ahayes@nbss.edu.
Reach Out to Us
Our program is always looking for great projects that will reflect the curriculum and experiences that make our program the success it is. If you have a project that you think would be a good fit, please let us know by emailing Peter and Brock at carpentry@nbss.edu or using this survey. Every year, we look to expand our database of employers so please let us know of a company that we should be working with as a project partner, field practicum participant or employer.
