NWTC Service-Learning and Civic Engagement 2017-2018 | Page 27

E D U C AT I O N A L O U T R E A C H
K12 EDUCATION
Norbert Hill Sugar Shack Construction
A sweet addition to education for the
Oneida Nation School System.
A partnership between NWTC and
the Oneida Tribe of Indians has a
sweet new reason to celebrate this
year – the opening of a new sugar
shack building on the grounds of
the Norbert Hill Center in Oneida.
NWTC Masonry and Carpentry
Construction Management students
constructed the Sugar Shack
throughout the 2017-2018 academic
year with the help of Oneida Nation
High School students.
The sugar shack serves as a shelter,
workspace, and educational facility
for students to learn the skill of
harvesting and processing maple sap,
a cultural tradition the Oneida people
have practiced for thousands of years.
According to Phillip Wisneski, Public
Relations Specialist for the Oneida
Nation, the Oneida Tribe brought
their knowledge of tree tapping
and syrup making into the area in
the 1830s when the Tribe
arrived from New York.
The original building
used for producing the
syrup was lost in a fire
approximately 15 years
ago, leaving a need in
the community. When
approached with the
opportunity to get
students
involved in
building a
new sugar
shack, NWTC
faculty
members
Dave Pryes
and Jeff Schlag were excited to
get involved.
“We’ve developed a charter relationship
with NWTC,” said Oneida Nation High
School Principal Artley Skenandore.
“A part of that charter relationship
calls for them to come directly to our
community and ask our operations:
what do we see as critical needs.”
The purpose of the charter is to
develop and maintain strategic
collaboration that strengthens
Tribal Nation building; inspires tribal
members to successfully complete
post-secondary technical education
credentials; and, through the provision
of robust technical education,
transform and sustain the economic
and social vitality of the Nation and
its members.
The students started the project in
October, working consistently through
November to pour the foundation and
lay the masonry block. The students
then installed the trusses, metal roof,
and siding on the sugar shack.
As articulated by Masonry student
Jye Jude, it felt good knowing others
will enjoy something she has worked
on for years to come. In the future,
she looks forward to showing her
family all of the structures she’s
helped build.
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