MASSAPEQUA SCHOOLS - STUDENT MEMORIES
from the Historical Society of the Massapequas Newsletter
Volume IV, Issue II, May, 2009, page 4
Volume IV, Issue II, May, 2009, page 4
MANUAL ARTS CLASS AT MASSAPEQUA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Dr. Raymond J. Lockhart in 1969
During the mid 1930's the manual arts class, which was only available to boys, was conducted in a corner of the school basement which was only acessible by climbing through an opening cut through the foundation of the building. This opening led to an unusable area that was set up as a wood working shop. The agility of the young boys as well as Mr. Lockhart, who was the Shop instructor, allowed access to the Shop.
The shop contained a variety of hand tools and a few power tools. For safety reasons, the power tools were only used by Mr. Lockhart who used them to make detail parts of the various projects offered to the students. With the use of the hand saws, drills, files and sand paper these details were finished and assembled into book stands, shoe shine boxes and various other relatively simple projects.
These lessons provided the boys with a basis for the tasks they may be requied to perform n later years as home owners. We were very proud of the work we acomplished, however crude it might have been, and very pleased to bring our finished projects home to show our parents.
It is interesting to note, that only through the ingenuity and dedication of Mr. Lockhart that manual arts class could be offered. This is the same Mr. Lockhart who became Dr. Lockhart and a few years later the Superintendent of the Massapequa School District.
The shop contained a variety of hand tools and a few power tools. For safety reasons, the power tools were only used by Mr. Lockhart who used them to make detail parts of the various projects offered to the students. With the use of the hand saws, drills, files and sand paper these details were finished and assembled into book stands, shoe shine boxes and various other relatively simple projects.
These lessons provided the boys with a basis for the tasks they may be requied to perform n later years as home owners. We were very proud of the work we acomplished, however crude it might have been, and very pleased to bring our finished projects home to show our parents.
It is interesting to note, that only through the ingenuity and dedication of Mr. Lockhart that manual arts class could be offered. This is the same Mr. Lockhart who became Dr. Lockhart and a few years later the Superintendent of the Massapequa School District.
Submitted by Arthur Filete, Class of 1940
