Author: Hazelwood College

Facelift for Dromcollogher Centrepiece

Dromcollogher Tidy Towns, Hazelwood College, the local Credit Union and others recently joined forces to carry out a major facelift to the garden centrepiece in the town’s square.

The feature which has been part and parcel of Dromcollogher for over forty years is now decked out with new benches and floral features for locals and visitors to enjoy. The old benches had gone into disrepair and had been taken but now the Tidy Town in association with the woodwork department in Hazelwood College have arranged for the installation of spanking new seating. “We were approached by the Tidy Towns Committee and the school were very happy to have another link with community and it was an opportunity for the woodwork department to show our skills and the students to have something to represent their work,” explained Jonathan Fealy, woodwork teacher at the school. The three benches were hand made by the students from good quality hardwood ash, finished in decking oil for weather protection and installed on concrete bases. The stu-dents have been involved in making the benches for a couple of hours a week since last November. “We are very proud of our input into the development and we have had plenty messages back to the school commenting on how well they look and on the quality of the students’ work,” Mr. Fealy said.

It is an uplift for the centre of the town and was a great community effort, it adds more to the focal point in town according to Tidy Towns Committee member Frank Brudair. “It was really the strands of the community pulling together, while it was the Tidy Towns idea, it would not have been possible without the Credit Union coming on board and providing some very valu-able financial assistance. The Dromcollogher Carnival Committee also gave a donation towards the work,” Mr. Brudair said. Some very tasty floral features have been provided adjacent to the benches and for this Mr. Brudair expressed his thanks to local florists Eamonn Villiers of Coun-try Fresh and Rita Ruddock for their sponsorship and for the planting in the Square.

The development is only part of the bigger project that the hardworking Tidy Towns Committee have planned for enhancing the town. “Every town and village is vying with each other to look the best and put its best foot forward. Dromcollogher is a proud town and we like to do our best. It is a long term project but when people are working together, the support of schools and local families helping out, it shows what can be done with a small bit of effort,” Mr, Brudair concluded.

Mr Patrick Kelly, visited Hazelwood College today to present to the students his fully functional replica Formula One car. Mr Kelly recently completed his Bachelor of Education and Technology at the University of Limerick.

As part of his final year at the University Patrick undertook a 10 week placement at Hazelwood College, teaching students Woodwork, Construction Studies and Technical Graphics from September to December. After his return to the University Patrick began the task of building what is believed to be the only fully driveable wooden formula one car.

The car is built on a steel chassis, with a wood composite skin. The wood composite skin comprises of bendable plywood, medium density fibreboard and almost five hundred hand cut maple and walnut pieces to form the outer skin. The car was then hand sanded and between three and six hand applied coats of oil to bring the car to its final finish.

It is powered by a 600cc, 90HP engine with a six speed semi automatic transmission, giving it the same power as a 1.5l petrol family car, but with about one third of the weight. The car is capable of over 100mph.

Pictured above are the Leaving Certificate Construction Studies Class Mr Kelly taught while on placement at Hazelwood College with their teacher Mr Fealy.

Gallery – click on any image to enlarge

Junior Certificate Woodwork 2013 Projects

Below is a selection of the projects submitted by this years woodwork classes for the State Examinations.

Students had to pick one of the following design briefs and submit a project they felt answered the brief

Design Briefs – Ordinary Level

1. Design and make an elegant artefact to display a maximum of three tea-light candles on a table. The artefact should be designed to be safe when in use. Your design should be hand crafted in solid wood and should have a storage facility for six additional tea-light candles.

2. Design and make a money box to be displayed on a desk or shelf. The money box should be attractive in appearance and should include a facility to display a small photograph.

3. Design and make a decorative artefact to hold three small potted herb plants. The artefact should be designed to be wall-mounted in an outdoor setting. Your design should be elegant in appearance and should reflect the theme of ‘grow your own food’.

Design Briefs – Higher Level

1. The most cherished objects are often those that are simply crafted and easy to use. Design and make a stand that will support an open cookery book on a kitchen worktop. The stand should express the elegance of handcrafted joints. As a secondary function, the stand should be suitable as a visually attractive wall mounted display.

2. The spirit of welcome is a cultural trait which is valued and celebrated worldwide. Design and make an artefact which could be presented to welcome a visitor to your local community in 2013. The finished artefact should be elegant in appearance and its design should express an aspect of culture that is unique to your community.

3. An organised environment enhances a young person’s bedroom space. Design and make a slimline, wall-mounted storage unit for use in a bedroom. A portion of the unit should provide a means of concealing a number of personal items. The unit should be of elegant proportions, enhanced by the natural beauty of solid wood. Your design should reflect the sustainable ideal of doing more with less.
The maximum dimension of the unit should not exceed 500mm.