Students at an Orillia high school are putting the personal touch on an item that will be up for grabs at Saturday’s Kiwanis Mammoth Auction.
For the past four weeks, construction students at Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School have been building an outdoor kitchen bar.
Brett Carron, who teaches construction with Dave Torrie, is always on the lookout for a project for students to complete. He found it when he came across an outdoor bar at Home Hardware.
“I snapped a picture of it because I thought it would be a great project,” he said.
The Kiwanis Club of Orillia covered the cost of the material, and the students got to work. They were putting the finishing touches on it Thursday.
“Everything on it is custom, so it’s nice for them to be involved with a project like that,” Carron said. “It’s a real team effort and it’s an excellent introduction to a timber-frame pool cabana that they are about to start after this.”
Tyler Fountain took a look at it Thursday and said he was proud of the work he and his fellow students had done.
“I just like seeing the end product after all our hard work,” he said. “I like it. I want one of these.”
It was a good experience for Logan Janson, too.
“It’s been great. We’re all having fun and we learn new things about construction,” he said, noting he wants to pursue a career in construction.
It was a different experience from that of some of the other projects the class has undertaken, Janson said, since this one will benefit the Kiwanis club, which puts its money back into the community.
“It’s cool that a bunch of high-school kids can work hard and do something good for charity,” he said.
“It’s good for the students to learn about the importance of giving back to the community,” added Carron.
Saturday’s auction will take place at ODAS Park, with doors opening at 8 a.m. and the live auction beginning at 10. There will also be a silent auction.
Among the items available are musical instruments, tickets to Raptors and Maple Leafs games, a paddleboard, a 65-inch TV and many more.
For more information, including a complete list of auction items, click here.
