Hailey Parker
Jamila Gilliam
Edwin Maldonado
Renee Clarke
Raynus Eugene
Walissa McDaniel
Matthew Baez
“I am proud of my team and what we’ve been working on. We’ve been working on a picnic table. We are halfway done. I am happy.”
“Sarah described me as a force of nature. When I saw, I do it rapidly because when you do it slowly, it hurts your arm. Shhh… don’t tell anyone my secret.”
“I am proud of making the table and the bench because we messed up so many times and we still got it done. This is the best work I have done in my life and the most work I have ever done.”
“I was trying to figure out how long do I have to use the sand paper to make the wood soft. I had already been using it for 15 minutes. I was really focused on getting it perfect. It still needs a lot more sand paper time for perfection. Dontae and I teamed up to patch the holes on the table as well. Then he helped me continue sanding the bench and the table.”
“I am proud of Dontae, Jamila, Josh and my table. The hardest part was the touch-ups. It was the hardest part because I really wanted it to be beautiful. So I was scared about how it looked.”
“The one thing that I’m proud of from last week is that I got to work with people who seriously wanted to work on the bench. I’m proud of myself because I got to participate, I didn’t want to just sit around. I wanted to play a part too. I’m just glad that our team got the work done.”
“The way that I used this Stanley saw is that I was cutting the 2 by 4s. I was making long strokes to go faster even though it took a while. More than a while. While I was making long strokes it made my cut make a long line as I was cutting along the line, even though it took almost a long time.”
“One technique I figured out today was when I had to put a hole in the ground and figured that when I step on the shovel it goes in further than what I thought. Instead of struggling to put the shovel in the hole and just get dirt out, because as the hole got deeper, the harder it was to shovel out the dirt to make the hole deeper. Now that we are on our second hole, I learned how to do it easier from my first hole.”
“Today was the first time I individually used the 60 grit and the 100 grit sand paper. I used it to smooth out the edges of the table corners. I worked hard at it for about 35 minutes. I felt really special that I actually built tables and benches for other people in the community, and we will be respected for it.”
“One day, a group called Urban Workshop went to the South Side (S. 4th street). We created benches and tables. In this picture, I’m holding the leg so my partner Walissa can screw in the bolt to hold the leg to the table. I feel proud of the tables and benches we made.”
“In the picture, Sasha and I were drilling holes in the table so we could get ready to screw. I was turning the drill while Sasha held it. We decided to do it this way (teamwork) because I needed help, so Sasha came over to put pressure on the drill and this was actually a great thing to do. It was also faster. Thanks, Sasha!!”
Endia Meekins
Max Mejia
Timothy Morgan
Dontae Clarke
“I am using a putty knife in this photo. The putty knife is being used to fill in the wood. So when people sit down or touch the table, they won’t get splinters in their hand. We had to wait a day for the wood fill to dry. Then we re-sanded it, then the wood fill blended in with the wood.”
Jazmine Norman
Jalissa Norman
Frankie Roman
Blanca Torres
Davonte Whitaker
“One thing that I’m proud of from the last two weeks is finding the measurements even though it was hard at first. And I’m especially proud of sawing because I’ve never done it before. What was hard about it was how much pressure I had to use and how thick and tough the wood is and the easy part was being able to cut it straight.”
“I like that people in my group encourage me so that I can succeed for my group. I feel really proud of myself.”
9/9/08: “In Urban Workshop, I hope to learn a little more about construction, architecture, and taking care of our community and environment.”
10/21/08: “Over the last two months, I have gotten physically stronger and have improved in problem-solving, teamwork, and my positivity has improved as well.”
“I like the way that we made that table as a group. That table was looking good. And it was a big table.”
“My favorite tool is the saw because I’ve been getting better at it. My cuts are like an A++. Today I used the saw. We were cutting wood to make benches. I knew that my cuts were an A++ because it was a straight cut. I was cutting the legs and I knew that it was going to be perfect.”
“Urban Workshop is good for me because it makes me want to come to school every day. It helps me understand that in life there are some things I have to get done. Urban Workshop also helps me understand that there will be people along the way that want to help me be successful.”
