Contact: Jenni Brockman
Telephone: 804-443-3357 (w); 804-443-2703 (h)
Fax: 804-443-6781
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tom Rhodes Shares Talents With St. Margaret's, Instructs Woodworking Course
Armed with little more than a starter hobby knife set and some wood, nine students are trying their luck with woodworking at St. Margaret's.
Tom Rhodes, of Naylor's Beach, is a visiting instructor teaching "Beginning Whittling and Woodcarving" during this year's minimester, February 23 - March 5. Students enrolled are: Latane Crittenden, Anne Czechanski, Olivia Dix, Amber Ellis, Emily Fisher, Laura "Luchy" Garcia-Lourdes, Ruth Redfearn, Maria Schimizzi, and Sammi Shih.
Sammi Shih, of Taiwan, whittles a feather in a woodworking class, minimester 1999.
Minimester 1999, Explorations, is a two-week program, held in February, that affords students and faculty an opportunity to "explore" areas of learning outside of the core curriculum. A variety of two, four, and six-hour courses are taught by faculty in areas in which they possess unique skills or have particular interests.
Mr. Rhodes, a retired engineer, first carved wood as a young boy scout to "stay out of trouble." Mr. Rhodes concedes he is no expert, though his work would convince otherwise, and encourages his students to fuel their creative engine and "be their own artists." "Some people can carve out their dreams [in wood], but me…I am one of those people who has to follow a line or copy a picture or an image of some kind," admits Rhodes.
"Carving is therapeutic [for me]…selling my work does not interest me. I enjoy sitting under an oak tree, beside the river, whittling away my daily stresses…that's what it's all about."
Topics to be covered include: knife grips and cuts; soap carving; chip carving; low-relief; making and sharpening tools; painting and staining; and wood selection. Students will carve a variety of subjects: an acorn, a feather, an owl in low-relief, a fish in high-relief, a duck in-the-round, and a wood spirit walking stick.
While minimester courses do not earn formal credit, students are richly rewarded with practical knowledge gained. Faculty, too, are energized as they explore new ideas and topics of particular interest.
Mr. Rhodes and the school mutually benefit, as Rhodes is able to share his talents; SMS is able to reach out and connect with the community. "It's important to look to the local community and involve individuals in the life of the school," says headmistress Margaret Broad. "We are open to that sort of thing and hope a healthy two-way relationship will continue in the future."
