As seemingly unexpected as it is, Diane Richard’s woodworking class has gained tremendous popularity with Hill students this past term. Hill has one of the oldest woodworking programs in the nation, and, when the Quadrivium was built, the program’s existence was in jeopardy. 

“I decided I didn’t want to lose that history or the tradition of having this class that has been taught for so many years to just go away,” Richards said. She’s been teaching the class since last year. She knew that it would be a challenge to run it in the new Quadrivium, but she made it work. “I knew because of the limitations of the space that it would just be small, hand-held tools: we don’t have any big equipment, so it is a lot of wood carving, which is awesome because those things take a lot of time, and then it is more made with your hands than with the machine.” 

Gavin Guerrette ’21 said he was initially attracted to the class because “it gave me the chance to work with my hands. I also felt that woodworking would provide a relief from any exterior stressors, allowing me to focus on something for 80 minutes and craft something that I really had to put some thought and physical work into.” 

Even students who have already fulfilled their art requirement have become fans of the class. SGA Co-President Sasjha Mayfield ’21 said she took it because “it helps create perspective. I already completed my arts requirement, so I’m taking the course purely because it interests me, and I wanted to try something new.”

Some select students have even chosen to take the class for a second year in a row. Nate Whittemore ’23 explained, “I wanted to take it again because I really enjoyed last year and wanted to keep going with some unfinished projects.”