From left, Owego-Apalachin Technology Education students Bradley Scheuerman, John Bement, Hailey McFadden and Allen Monet, four of seven students who helped build Sir Woodward Hiawatha, pose in front of the nutcracker display at the Tioga History Museum located at 110 Front St. in Owego, N.Y. (Photo by JoAnn R. Walter)
At the Tioga History Museum located at 110 Front St. in Owego, N.Y., a distinguished nutcracker man, aptly named Sir Woodward Hiawatha, stands at attention in one of the multiple rooms decorated for the museum’s annual O Tannenbaum holiday showcase.
Surrounded by festive Christmas trees, this particular nutcracker man is not only a piece fashioned in resemblance of a traditional design, it also holds a place in future history as a time capsule.
Seven Owego-Apalachin Middle School students took on the momentous project, which started in the fall of 2014. The students, part of the Life Skills Technology Education class, with direction from teacher Donald Shultz, designed and built the six-foot-four, 214 pound nutcracker man from solid cherry wood donated by Double Aught Lumber in Candor, N.Y. Encompassing twenty weeks of work, or two school marking periods, the project was completed in the spring of 2015.
Shultz explained that Technology Education engages students with relevant, hands-on and minds-on projects focused on 21st century skills. Shultz said, “Projects like this teach kids creativity, teamwork, collaboration, problem solving, engineering and design, as well as community service.”
Students who worked on the project include Allen Monet, Hailey McFadden, John Bement, Bradley Scheuerman, Hunter Szabo and Fred Boudreaux.
Pictured is Sir Woodward Hiawatha, on display at the Tioga History Museum’s O Tannebaum at 110 Front St. in Owego, N.Y. Owego-Apalachin Technology Education students helped build the six-foot-four and 214 pound nutcracker man, which is also a time capsule to be opened in the year 2050. (Photo by JoAnn R. Walter)
The students shared that one of the most difficult aspects of building the nutcracker man was keeping all of his parts, including the hands, arms, legs and head, in proportion with each other. One gallon of wood glue was used during assembly, and the students also learned how to use tools safely.
Hailey McFadden shared, “We used mostly the wood lathe to help turn all of the parts.”
Owego-Apalachin teacher aides offered support throughout the project, including Barbara Wright and Joan Reynolds, among others, and thanks to the talents of retired Owego-Apalachin art teacher, Sue Anderson, the nutcracker man received an extraordinary paint job. Anderson devoted seventy hours to accomplish Sir Woodward Hiawatha’s sophisticated look.
Shultz explained, “The goal is to open the drum of the nutcracker, which serves as the time capsule, in December 2050. Students have written predictions of what their lives will be like in the year 2050 and placed them in the drum.”
In 2050, students who participated in building the nutcracker man will be about 50 years old. When asked what they think life will be like in 35 years, they agreed that it would most likely be very different and foresee visiting the museum with their own children in the future.
Asked why they built the nutcracker man, the students replied, “We thought it would be a unique one-of-a-kind time capsule.”
The nutcracker man is the most recent project made by the Life Skills Technology Education class at the Owego-Apalachin Middle School.
Shultz shared, “Every year we do a community service project that teaches the kids the importance of community networking.”
Pictured is Sir Woodward Hiawatha, a nutcracker man built by Owego-Apalachin Technology Education students, and stands six-foot-four and weighs 214 pounds, prior to the finished paint scheme. Sir Woodward Hiawatha is on display at the Tioga History Museum’s O Tannebaum Showcase at 110 Front St. in Owego, N.Y. (Provided photo)
Previous projects of the class involved making 100, shelf-sitting Santa’s that were delivered to residents of Riverview Manor two years ago; and in another previous year, students made over 100 wooden toys that were distributed to young patients at the Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa.
Representatives from the Tioga County History Museum networked with the school district and communicated that the nutcracker man time capsule not only connects the present and future, it will be a community keepsake for visitors to enjoy for decades to come.
Sir Woodward Hiawatha, a name selected to identify with the geography of the community, will remain on display at the Tioga History Museum throughout the year.
The O Tannenbaum display at the Tioga History Museum continues through Saturday, Dec. 12. For more information, call (607) 687-2460, visit the Tioga County Historical Society Facebook page, or view their website at tiogahistory.org.
