Case Studies

Carteret Public Schools initially partnered with Maplewoodshop to offer woodworking at its afterschool program at the middle school. It then expanded is woodworking offering by having a woodworking elective course at its junior high school.

As a cyber school, it seemed highly unlikely they could start a hands-on carpentry program, but JD Smith, director of career readiness for the school, was still determined to try. “It is so important for us to promote career readiness, not just college readiness,” said Smith. “

Like many districts, Denville Township School District added an accelerated learning program for the summer of 2021. Between the extended year and accelerated learning programs, the district hoped a large group of students would take advantage of these programs and get excited about learning again.

Brooklyn Prospect wanted to explore woodworking in art class, where the children could experiment with a new medium and learn life skills. The school’s mission to create lifelong learners is aligned with the Maplewoodshop mission to teach kids powerful life skills that they take with them even after they graduate.

Camp enrollment for boys has historically been low and the administration hoped that offering a woodworking program would pique interest in boys. It did. In their first year with woodworking, the administration saw boys who did a week of woodworking return the next week for sewing or another craft.

URJ Eisner Camp aims to cultivate curious minds and the creative spirit of campers. To this end, the camp administration believes in letting kids work with their hands to see what they can create. The Maplewoodshop program was a perfect fit to help kids develop their creativity and curiosity.

Students from special needs schools like The Banyan School often have difficulty getting into local tech schools, which have become increasingly selective. Exposing students to woodworking through the Maplewoodshop Program helps them practice and master basic trade skills, and increases their chances of trade school admittance.

Deeny Riback wanted to build out a new area of their 40-acre camp and Maplewoodshop was the perfect anchor for the new space.

The Camp Director at Camp Veritans wanted her campers to have a physical outlet for creative energy. A woodworker herself, she knew campers would use their brains and their bodies to build - a unique opportunity for them in today’s world where much of their attention is devoted to a screen.

Woodcliff Lake Middle School is making STEM a priority. There are 2 full-time STEM instructors who devote many hours of classroom time to activities like robotics, coding, and now, woodworking.