By ROB DURHAM
editor@breckenridgeamerican.com

A group of Breckenridge Junior High students are showing wisdom well beyond their ages around the Christmas holidays.
BJHS Industrial Arts teacher Steve Toliver, along with Kim Fuller’s Gifted and Talented department implemented a team-teaching project that will help soldiers in the United States military ease their pain of being away from family during Christmas.
The project, entitled “The Freedom Pens Project,” was made with the help of Penn State Industries of Philadelphia, Penn, which furnished the 24-carat gold-plated pen kits.
The wood used in the making of the pens was Indonesian Rosewood and Brazilian Snakewood.
“I think the students really enjoyed doing this project,” Toliver said. “I also think they gained a greater appreciation of our military personnel.”
The group constructed pens and then had to write a letter to the men or women receiving the pens telling how their service to our country was appreciated and how thankful they were for the freedoms they have in the United States.
Eighth-grader Dyamond Puebla said the project was an eye-opening experience for her.
“The fact that I was making a pen for our military people made the experience even better,” she said. “It wasn’t just me making a pen … it was me making it for someone special.”
Toliver’s class makes approximately 250 pens a year. Students in BJHS can purchase the pens for use in their classes.
However, the 11 pens made from this particular group held a little more meaning.
“It was a neat project and making the pen was fun,” said BJHS eighth-grader Blake Martinez. “It sure felt good after I found out the meaning of the project.”
BJHS seventh-grader Tyler Bode, who was working on his fourth pen  in the class said the cutting and sanding portion of the project was the most entertaining.
“Working on the pen made me feel good about what I was doing,” he said. “After knowing why I was doing the project, I wanted to make sure it was perfect.”
Morgan Thompson, eighth-grader, looked at the project from a gift-giving point of view, saying “it makes me feel good that I can give them something special.”
“I like making the pens because it’s fun,” said Austin Dooley. “But when I was making this one, I was thinking ‘It’s not all about us.’”

Identification for Pictures:
#5705……Pictured are the kids in Steve Toliver’s class as well as Kim Fuller’s Gifted and Talented class who are sending pens and letters to soldiers overseas during Christmas. Students include (front, l to r) Elliott Perez, Tyler Bode, Tiffany Melton, Dyamond Peubla, Morgan Thompson and Maria Mendoza. The back row features (l to r) Blake Martinez, Jake Wallace, Cade Cornett, Kim Fuller, Steve Toliver and Austin Dooley. Not pictured is Jenae Herring.

#5707…..Pen Photo: The group will plan to send a group of soldiers a pen, a ‘thank you’ letter along with a coin with an inspirational saying.
(Photos by Rob Durham)

Pam Levy

School Products Manager

Mr. Stevens’ Advanced Woodworking class at The Colony High School, Colony, Texas, participated in the Freedom Pen Project and really enjoyed the experience. Some turned two or three pens each and were very proud that their work was being sent overseas to our troops. The wood lathe is the most popular machine in the shop for many of his students.

Dear Pam,
Thank you for providing us materials to present at the Association of Texas Technology Education. This year we presented using Fun Kits, Slimline, and Comfort pens using Exotic Woods and Acrylics blanks. We had a lot of fun working with the new teachers and the experienced alike. What amazes me is the fact that Penn State Industries always has something new to provide for the experienced teachers to expand what they have done before. Please keep up the good work. We in Texas are looking for ways to add to our curriculum as we move into the Career Clusters, and your products allow us to have "Hands On" activities to promote Machining, Manufacturing, Information, and Marketing to meet the TEA Standards for these Clusters. I am sure there are other clusters that they will be helping also.
The biggest benefit that I see is that we are told by Workforce Specialists that we are seeing a shortage of qualified Machinists in our Workforce. Your products allow students to have a better understanding of what a Machinist does, and introduces them to the basics of shaping materials to produce a product that is high quality and very attractive. It also introduces students into the hobby of Wood Working and specifically Woodturning. I have a student who was so interested in penmaking that he bought everything he needed and now has started his own pen making business. this has led to an opportunity for him to work at a Cabinet Shop close to his house.
Thank you again for all that Penn State industries does to promote Woodturning and Education.
Ted Weiberg, CTE Teacher
North Lamar High School, Paris, TX

These photographs were taken by Rick Myers and Darryl Schilling,
members of the Bayou Woodturners, who presented a woodturning
program to students at East St. John High School in Reserve, Louisiana.
The article about the project was featured in our previous catalogue.

Click here to see the previous article.

   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

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

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.