Initial planning assessed the Wood Shop’s previously underutilized equipment, tools, supplies, and their condition. From there, several objectives quickly developed that included: Cover safety, terminology, and other basics with an initial demo and follow with a turning opportunity for approximately thirty 10th – 12th grade students, assisted by experienced woodturners supplying their own lathes and tools for the event.

    They emphasized the immense variety of items producible on a lathe while starting new turners with a project that an inexperienced person can complete in one session. From tools, equipment, and finishes, including emphasis on the variety of ways available to produce a similar basic end result.

Expose potential new turners to the self satisfaction and myriad rewards of transforming somewhat ordinary pieces of wood into eye-popping objects of beauty and utility.

 Revive administrators’ interest in woodworking in general, with emphasis on woodturning in particular.

   Develop processes, lines of communication, and plans for ongoing Youth Outreach support of woodturning at interested schools.

    Coupled with the Bayou Woodturners’ ongoing contributions to The Freedom Pens Project—a  project that to date has supplied over 110,000 custom turned pens at no cost to deployed U.S. armed forces members in appreciation for their service—a pen turning workshop for the students was a natural choice.

   Prior to the event, the teachers were supplied with the Penn State Industries pen turning instructional DVD, slimline pen assembly instructions, and suggestions for an optional assignment the students could utilize to develop ideas for pen types and shapes. In a last minute surprise, the school’s Principal also invited the entire 9th grade to participate!

    Considering the logistics of suddenly handling over 150 students, we accommodated the 9th graders as observers only, thus whetting their appetite to participate the next time. Throughout the day of the workshop, in groups of 2 or 3 classes, these 9th graders arrived, each shift spending an hour or more getting their questions answered while viewing the pen turning, sanding, finishing, and assembly activities of their older classmates as well as the variety of turnings on the Instant Gallery table.

  Through the generosity of participating woodturners, the original 10th – 12th grade students were provided with enough additional materials to produce their first pen for Freedom Pens, a second pen to keep for themselves, and any subsequent pens again for donation to Freedom Pens.

    As a result, the participating students discovered new abilities in areas of interest that might never have been developed without the exposure from the workshop. Administrators gained insight into the value of a strong woodturning program, including the generous support available from area woodturners. The experienced woodturners had a blast and everyone—students, teachers, and turners–is eager to have another workshop.

    From experienced woodturners helping students, to students learning to make pens for donation as well as themselves, perhaps the best lesson of the event was discovering the pleasure and satisfaction derived from giving back to your community—especially when you can do it through woodturning.

— Rick Myers

Thank you for your time and interest.

Pam Levy

School Products Manager

Thanks again for all you do. Keep up the good work!

John H Rousch,

Career and Technical Education Instructor
Lake Placid High School, Lake Placid, FL

Our School Products Division is available to answer any questions and to help you getstarted. You can call me 7 days a week from 9am until 11pm EST. (Call me at 1-800-847-8984 or email me with an area code, phone number and a time that is convenient for you.)

Thank you for your time and interest.

Pam Levy

Thanks again and God Bless you all,
Bob MGySgt R.H. Enfinger Jr.
MALS-40 AVC
Go Gator

Good Morning,
My name is GySgt Bravo, Lazaro and I’m stationed in Camp Pendleton. I’m the Powerplants Division Chief here in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. I want to send to you a sincere and heartfelt, thank you for taking the time to think of all of us and the effort you put into making us these pens. We are very appreciative and they will definitely be of very good use here amongst the shop.
Again we just want to show our gratitude and let you know the importance of such people as yourselves. We are very grateful for all of your support.
Hopefully we don’t scare anybody with our ugly mugs.
Thank You from the crew of Powerplants.

Lutheran High School  in Orange, CA has made 446 pens so far this year and they are planning another
turnathon.

These photographs were taken while the Freedom Pens were distributed to personnel aboard the aircraft carrier the USS George Washington this past year.

Pam Levy

I want to thank the school division of Penn State Industries for your help in getting Davisville Middle School off and running on the 2008-09 freedom pen project. We here at DMS believe that our help is going to a great cause to support our military defending our country. Our school goal is to finish 200 pens over the school year to donate to the armed services. Last year we contributed over 60 pens for this worthy cause.

I made the move to Penn State because I believe your company’s dedication, concern, and support is aimed at helping out schools in this endeavor. I am elated with the products that I have received from Penn State Industries and my future PO’s will be devoted to PSI. I have dedicated my 8th grade program towards community/country service projects and the students are willing and able to help and support the troops.

Michael Berndt
Tech Ed./ IA Instructor
Davisville Middle School
North Kingstown, RI 02852

Thank you for your time and interest.

Pam Levy