There is a special project being made at Vinal Technical High School in Middletown. The carpentry students have been working to make a replica of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier monument from Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this class,” said cabinetry and mill work teacher Tim Larson.
The replica has a wood frame with three-inch foam board as a shell. It will lead off the Middletown Memorial Day Parade on May 29.
“These kids have been working tirelessly on it. They’ve done the design work, the math work, the history work, the CNC, to painting now. It’s been a great experience,” said Larson.
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The Middletown Council of Veterans approached Larson with the idea. Larson said his class voted unanimously to take on the project. It became more than a carpentry project as they had to learn about the tomb’s history and use math to scale it down.
“Most of the kids are 14 years old and freshmen. It's not part of the normal history project,” said Bill Currlin, the commander of the Middletown Council of Veterans. “Once they researched it, they found out that in addition to tomb, the story of the soldiers doing it is pretty unique. You know, these soldiers had been guarding this tomb for 102 years, 24 hours a day. And that inspired them also.”
Eighteen students worked on the project, including Alex Karber. “I think it’s great that we get to do something for the veterans. They’ve done so much for us. It’s the least we can do for them. It’s also just a good way to have fun, practice carpentry skills and learn a little bit of history,” said Karber.
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After the students finish painting it, the art teacher plans to show them how to make it look like marble. Students in the tech department are also working on a QR code that will be displayed on the float during the parade. The QR code will link people to information on the tomb and the project.
The veterans who spoke with NBC Connecticut said they are thrilled to see the progress and they plan to gift each student with a pin as a thank you.
“There's a lot of help, a lot of excitement at a lodge. We just didn't see it growing into this, this capacity. It's really kind of nice to see so many volunteers come out of nowhere. We've spent less than $500 on it and we were ready to do whatever it took to make it. But, it's turning into something really special,” said Currlin.
