As a result of this kind of forward thinking, at the request of the Loganton Borough Council, the 137-year-old pavilion at Sulphur Spring had a little help this spring from its friends in the small, but mighty, Advanced Woodworking class at the Sugar Valley Rural Charter School.

“We wanted to do something for the America 250, so we decided we wanted to spruce this up,” said Borough President, Ryan Bierly. “We asked some of the local businesses to donate, and they really stepped up. We then asked the school if they wanted to help work on the exterior of this,” he said, pointing to the brown, wooden structure. “We plan on getting some more picnic tables and more flowers, because we do see people stop here and sit.”

The borough council and the school reached out to Pa. State Representative for the 76th district, Stephanie Borowicz, to come see the student’s handywork for herself.

“It’s absolutely gorgeous,” said State Representative Borowicz.

AMBER MORRIS/FOR THE EXPRESS The three students of the SVRCS Advanced Woodworking class, Coy Strouse, Carson Sanders and Trey Hinds, in front of the freshly painted beams.

Chuck Bechdel, who instructs several classes at the SVRCS including shop, small engine and agriculture, and is the FFA advisor, is proud of his smallest group of three, in the Advanced Woodworking class, who have impressed him beyond measure, saying that he and class para-professional Kimberly Bohartz are both very proud of the work the students did.

“We’ve had basic building classes in the past but this is the first year for the Advanced Woodworking,” Mr. Bechdel explained, looking at the class of high school juniors. “We didn’t know if they could handle it, but once we got here and they started jacking this building up, there was no question that they could do it. Kim and I were here with them every day and we didn’t have to do much.”

The students went beyond woodworking and did whatever needed to be done to fix over 100 years of wear and tear, pouring concrete, making molds, painting and cleaning up around the spring house. “They just got to work and we watched,” said Mr. Bechdel. “They weren’t afraid at all, and they were really particular about what they did. I’m really happy.”

“That is true American grit,” said Representative Borowicz. “That’s why we want to bring classes like this back to Pennsylvania, it’s important. This is the ‘toolbelt generation.’ If you’re willing to work hard, like you guys did on this project, I always say ‘the world is like your oyster right now,’ because a lot of people aren’t willing to work hard.”

“That’s the great thing about this area, is the young men are still willing to work hard,” she continued. “It encourages me, because we see a lot of situations and scenarios, even in Harrisburg, where they’re not willing to work and do the hard things in life, and you guys are willing to do that, so that’s awesome. It’s amazing the ingenuity of you guys and what you have ahead for you all.”

AMBER MORRIS/FOR THE EXPRESS The Advanced Woodworking students explained to Representative Borowicz the steps of restoring the 137-year-old pavilion at Sulphur Spring.

The teens showed the State Representative the work they did replacing the concrete slabs, fixing the sign, painting the pillars, and where they cleaned out the actual spring itself. “It was full of trash and leaves,” said 16-year-old junior Carson Sanders, pointing to the square concrete hole in the floor of the pavilion known as a “spring box.” A spring box is a man-made receptacle that helps to protect a natural spring from animals and debris, and makes it easier to collect water.

Mr. Bechdel made sure to mention that the students were careful not to take anything away from the history of the landmark. “The kids didn’t sand over any of the names that are carved into the wood, and instead painted over the names to help preserve them.”

Even though care was taken, some of the structure was showing its age and had to be completely replaced. That’s where Kat Wysnewski, a Penn State graduate and first year art teacher at the SVRCS, came in to help work on restoring the Sulphur Spring sign.

“I mapped out the lettering on a new piece of hardwood and Carson routed them. I then stained the wood, painted the letters and sealed the sign to protect it from the elements,” explained Wysnewski. “It was in a very sorry state and was rotten all the way through and falling apart. Helping to restore a structure like this was a good experience for the students because they learned about the importance of sealing the wood from the elements, as well as using the right type of wood. It did not look like the old sign had a sealant, and was likely made of a softwood. Hardwood is more durable, and will last longer against the elements. Everything came together so nicely. I’m always looking for more ways to contribute to the school and local community, so I was honored to be a part of this.”

“We’re very proud of this group and their hard work,” said SVRCS CEO Tracie Kennedy, as she reminded the group that the need for skilled trade workers is on the rise. “There are apprenticeships out there for this kind of work that are becoming more and more available to the young kids.”

Each of the students have big plans for the summer. Carson is going to work at a factory melting metal down; Coy Strouse, 17, will be working for an electrician; and Trey Hinds, also 17, will be working out of state in construction.

The Loganton Borough was thrilled with the job the small group accomplished.

“Borough council was excited to partner with our local school kids,” said Council President Bierly. “We are extremely proud of the work they have done. As council president, I would like to personally thank them for the work they’ve done,” adding some words of gratitude for the donors. “I would also like to thank the community members that donated to the project. Your donations are keeping our town beautiful.”

“I am very proud of the work that the school kids put into fixing the pavilion up,” added Loganton Mayor Christopher Miller.

President Harrison believed that the people of America could do great things that would surpass their own lives, and although the names of the original builders of the pavilion at Sulphur Spring were lost, their work continues to enrich the community.

In 2126, when the local kids read about the landmarks of Clinton County, Carson, Coy and Trey will forever be etched in Sugar Valley history as the three teens who helped to preserve Sulphur Spring for another 100 years, and as Harrison hoped, “they will never go out.”