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Lily Hodge builds benches, breaks barriers
CANFIELD
A Canfield senior chose a new experience in a wood technology class to further her creative horizon and independence.
Lily Hodge said between seeing ideas on Pinterest and being an active participant in an advanced art class, her decision to take wood tech seemed like a good combination of the two.
“It’s actually really fun to build your own stuff,” Hodge said. “I learn to do things for myself a lot.”
John Ihnat, industrial technology teacher, said she really amazed him by doing so much on her own.
“Some [students] you have to work closely with, and I didn’t have to too much [with Hodge],” Ihnat said. “She did really well.”
Ihnat said she carries over her drawing skills from advanced art to wood tech, bringing them to 3-D fruition.
Hodge said she also used her wood-tech skills when she volunteered at a Habitat for Humanity house.
“I knew how to use all the tools in there, and all the other girls had to paint,” she said.
Hodge said not only were her parents, Keri and Bob Hodge, shocked when she told them she was taking the class, but her friends were as well.
“Not a lot of girls do it – I think they think it’s more of a boy thing to build stuff,” she said. “None of my friends took it, but it’s cool to do something different and open yourself up to new experiences. I didn’t think I was going to like it as much as I did.”
Some of her recent projects included a coat rack and a stained bench nearly identical to the ones she found pictured on Pinterest. The fine-edged and smoothly finished creations also serve as presents for her friends during holiday gift exchanges.
Although woodworking is just a hobby for now, she has thought about selling them for profit.
Ihnat said pieces such as the ones Lily and his other students make are high in quality.
“If you do it right, it’ll last you a lifetime,” Ihnat said.
He said he enjoys seeing students come back and say they still use something they made in his class.
“You get to learn real-life skills, and when you move on and have your own house or apartment, you learn how to use a hammer and hang a picture on a wall,” Ihnat said.