Valley Parents: Kids learn cooking, carpentry skills at Claremont camps

CLAREMONT — Noah Conrad loves an opportunity to build something. Olivia Sartwell sees the fun in learning how to cook.

Both got to explore their interests during one-week camps in early July at Sugar River Valley Technical Center in Claremont. Noah, 13, of Claremont, improved his carpentry skills, while Olivia, 10, of Cornish, learned to cook on her own.

“I did this last year and I love building things,” Noah said as worked on two plexiglass shields with a wooden frame that he and his brother will use as they chase each other around playing the game of Splatrball, which is similar to paintball.

Noah said he came up with the idea of the shield that he could see through and cut a sheet of plexiglass to 18 by 30 inches then glued it to a square wooden frame.

“I build Lego sets at home, but I thought it would be way more fun to build something bigger,” he said.

The aim of the camp is to introduce middle school students to the trades, teacher Michael Burnett said. Since Burnett began the camp three years ago, about half the participants have enrolled in his construction trades class in high school. Camp costs $25 and is open to incoming sixth- seventh- and eighth- grade students in any school district.

“The overarching goal of this summer camp is to motivate these students and educate them about the offerings here at the tech center,” Burnett said. “…The majority of the students who take this summer camp and those enrolled in construction trades are very mechanical in nature and they know that about themselves so this area of study lends itself to being motivated every day.”

Burnett begins the camp with a simple project and during the week works up to more challenging ones for a total of five projects, which students can bring home to show their parents.

“Of course students are at different levels when they come to me, so I accommodate their levels and their knowledge, and differentiate the instruction,” Burnett said.

The construction trades room contains various machines, including table saws and drills. There’s lumber all around and several finished projects from previous classes.

A tech education class in middle school spurred the interest of Alex West, who is entering eighth grade.

“I enjoyed that so I thought this would be interesting,” West said, while working on a bench that he began building on the first day.

West used a blueprint to cut the pieces, but added his own adjustments to the bench’s front edge with several curve cuts, he said. He clamped the bench top to his workbench then, using a jigsaw, carefully cut along penciled curves.

“The most challenging part was getting the semicircles (on each leg) to be identical,” West said.

He cut one, then traced it to cut the other.

“I love construction,” he said. “It reminds me of my brother. This is something he would do and I will probably give it to him.”

Burnett said he has nine students in the camp and it is a pleasure working with them and teaching them about construction.

“It is very motivating for me to come to work each day and see these kids want to learn,” Burnett said.

Basics of culinary arts

Inside the kitchen just off the Teal Lantern dining room at the tech center, 20 middle school students in the culinary arts camp were between recipes and busy doing one of a cook’s most important tasks: keeping the kitchen clean. They were washing down steel countertops, and running dishes and utensils through the dishwasher.

Sarah Kainu, the tech center’s culinary arts instructor, is in her sixth year with the camp. She said the mix of abilities ranges from some who cook at home with their parents to others who are being introduced to cooking and are interested in learning.

Having fun is a key ingredient to the camp so the students will want to return, Kainu said. But she also wants to impart a passion for cooking on students, along with a basic knowledge of how to cook from scratch at home with ingredients on hand, and understanding weights and measurements.

After lunch on the Wednesday of the one-week camp, the students broke into groups to make Rice Krispies Treats. Also on the menu for the week were blueberry muffins, macaroni and cheese, breakfast sandwiches, pizza dough and pizza, and meatballs.

Learning about heating and thickening sauces on a gas stove was new to Charles Goss, 11, of Claremont, who is entering sixth grade, because his family has an electric stove at home.

“Making the homemade macaroni and cheese was my favorite,” Charles said.

Meanwhile, Eva White, 12, of Claremont, was learning about various cooking processes and how to cook safely, including not leaving the stove on when something is cooking.

“I just really like cooking and learning the rule of what to do and not to do,” said White, who will be a seventh grader this year.

Olivia Sartwell, of Cornish, who is entering sixth grade, said her sister took the course and it “looked like fun.”

“I’ve always been interested in cooking and I’m learning how to cook without somebody telling me step by step,” Olivia said. “I think it is fun trying to cook on your own.”

Lacey Simonds, a 2024 Stevens High School graduate who is working to save money for culinary school, is in her second year as a culinary assistant with the camp. She enjoys introducing students to cooking and watching them learn, she said.

“A lot of them come in knowing nothing,” Simonds said. “It is challenging, but it is a great experience working with them. They ask great questions and they really learn a lot.”

Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.