Saint Louis High School woodshop students and teachers made benches in memory of Brady Hessbrook. 

The woodshop was approached by a teacher from Ithaca on behalf of the class of 2021, the class that Hessbrook graduated with. These benches will be located outside of the Ithaca football field locker room. 

The woodshop wasn’t given a design so Mr. Maxwell took it upon himself to find a bench he thought would be nice. He then added the decal that the Hessbrook family set up and added it to the bench. 

The benches took about a month to make. Mr. Maxwell shared, “Our students did a great job staying on task and getting it done.” The students involved include Thomas Zacharko, Wisdom Zanquo, Ashton Leonard, Nick Wirgua, and John Mitchell. 

The most important thing about making a bench like this is having accurate plans. There were step by step instructions used to make the benches as nice as they could be. The benches are made out of cedar so they withstand the weather than finished with a clear outdoor finish. 

Mr Maxwell expressed, “The purpose of our shop is to serve others, and to teach our students that we can use our gifts and abilities to help and encourage others.  This was a great project that fit our purpose as a shop.  I am very proud of our students’ willingness to give of their time and abilities.”

“I enjoyed making the benches and giving back to the community. We set the rivalry aside and showed our support.” shared senior Ashton Leonard