Students from Two Rivers School in North Bend recently used teamwork to build and donate furniture to nearby Trail Youth Coffee House, an innovative nonprofit dedicated to building bridges and providing mentorship for Snoqualmie Valley kids.
According to a district news release, the furniture is “useful, sturdy, and artfully constructed” – and also a great example of project-based learning.
Per the release, “The kids worked in teams to put their design concepts to paper, incorporated math skills to guide their planning, considered physics to ensure stability, and learned to use tools for measuring, sawing, leveling, sanding, assembling, wood burning and varnishing.”
The end result was a beautiful conference table and bookcase — which they delivered to the Trail Youth Coffee House. Two Rivers students Gerrit Bayha, Elise Zmolek, Zoey Chen and KT worked on the conference table, while Alex Smolinski and Hayden Moss built the bookcase.
Ron Hirsch at Chinook Lumber helped with project materials. Casey Crust of My Little Snoqualmie Sign Shop, donated her time, tools and expertise in wood burning. Teacher Joe Burgener provide design consultation.
You can see the finished projects in use at the Trail Youth Coffee House – located right next door Scott’s Dairy Freeze on North Bend Way. It’s open to the public from 7AM – 2PM. From 2:30PM – 5PM it’s open to teens only – where everything is just for them. They don’t pay for coffee drinks and can receive mentorship, barista training, leadership development and community connections.
For more information about Trail Youth Coffee Home, visit their website at https://www.trailyouth.com/ or drop by in person for a beverage and friendly ambiance.
