Build It: Boards & Bags

Written by Parker Mendel, Kearney High School Senior
Initially published in “P.O.V. Publish Our Voices,” a student-run magazine showcasing the perspectives of young writers.

Cooper Byers and Tucker Phillips are both juniors at Kearney High School and recently worked together to build, design, finish and sell a set of cornhole boards for a local teacher. They did this project as an optional add-on to the curriculum of their Agriculture-Construction class, taught by Mrs. Lewis.

Building Cornhole boards was a unique opportunity for students to apply the things they learned just a few days or weeks prior to a real-world scenario, but there were roadblocks. A few issues arose during the building process, including not ordering enough wood and dealing with uneven board legs.

Students were to make cut lists, a list of all the parts that needed to be ordered to make the cornhole boards, and some groups ordered more than others.

Mrs. Lewis said, “One challenge we faced was not having all the materials. The students were in charge of making a cut list of supplies and I only purchased what they sent me. This caused an issue of not having enough materials for the boards and having to reorder extra supplies.”

Lewis’s students were able to get a second order of wood in time for their Cornhole boards to be sent to their clients, but it taught them a valuable lesson in responsibility.

“Whatever you’re doing, get it done early. Don’t wait around to work on it because then you get behind and it just piles up fast” Byers said.

Along with woodworking skills, Cooper and Tucker also had to learn how to communicate with their clients professionally.

“I didn’t know how to write a professional email at first. Miss Lewis taught me how to do that,” Phillips said.

This is the first year that Lewis has taught at Kearney High School, and her first time leading a class through a CCP.

“The idea stemmed from a student asking about making a set of cornhole boards for a business in class. I talked with Mrs. Holtzclaw [Kearneys’ Career Readiness Coordinator and we discussed how we can set this project up to fit our agriculture-construction class.”

Lewis said, despite these setbacks, both students agreed that the project taught them valuable skills. In addition to communicating with clients, Lewis’s students practiced marketing skills by creating promotional materials for their products.

Cooper explained that, before having a client for his group’s cornhole boards, he designed a flyer on Canva that had different customization options such as logos and painted patterns, and it eventually reached his client Mr. Minta. Tucker’s satisfaction with seeing the finished project made his hard work worthwhile.

My favorite part of building the cornhole boards was sanding, especially with how smooth it gets. It’s rewarding to go from that rough piece of wood to how smooth it is, especially after you finish it.

Cooper Byers, Kearney High School Junior

For students like Tucker and Cooper, This Client Connected Project was more than just a woodworking project. It was a chance to deal with responsibility, learn practical skills, and gain insight as to what a job in the woodworking industry would look like.