Design Technology students build furniture for teachers!

From building chairs to building boats, students from both English and Chinese track in Design Technology work hard to fulfill the teachers’ needs. This is not the first time the class had built furniture for teachers. Dr. Darshana Hegde‘s large wooden bulletin board that has wheels attached to the bottom, shelves in the Design Technology classroom, and many more other furnitures were made by students of Design Technology.

Throughout quarter one, the class was divided into several teams. They were told to make brochures, posters, and PowerPoint presentations to emphasize the team’s strengths and roles the members were capable of accomplishing. Then, after getting randomly assigned to the furniture requested by teachers from different departments, each team personally visited the “clients” in person to discuss the details and make blueprints for their products. After the designing process, students outlined the furniture in different angles in order to have a better understanding of what they need to make in the next two months. To meet their deadline, they also made timelines and schedules to manage their time well.

“It trained us to become more prepared. The idea that we are drawing it with accurate measurements mean that we are creating tangible objects that will work when we put the pieces together. I think we were able to picture the process of doing things ahead of time and at the same time train ourselves to do precise work,” commented Peter Park (12C).
Amy Kim (10A) added, “The plans we made during class helped picture the final look of our product. It gave a clear idea about what we expect as the final outcome.”

After the midterm exams, the students began to cut wood, drill holes and screws, and paint their products into perfection. They have invested a lot of their time and effort to achieve their teachers’ needs, carefully managing dangerous machines under the assistance of their teacher, Dr. Peter Griffin. “[We are] almost [done with building the boat.] The planning process required many calculations and required thinking multiple steps ahead of time. Our team members used physics and mathematics, applying what we learned before in constructing this boat. It was an experience that was beyond what I had expected. We just need to do some final touches, meaning it will probably be complete within 1 to 2 weeks’ time,” stated Peter.

The year of 2018 is about to end, and the students look forward to deliver their works to the clients. Hopefully, the students will be able to finish with a satisfying outcome without any major issues or conflicts.

Featured image – Students of Design Technology work hard to finish their products. Photo Courtesy of Kelly Woo

by Kelly Woo