Our Teamworks & Timbers program visited the Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal School in Richmond, VA, recently.  Over 50 students from this independent, tuition-free, faith-based middle school for students of limited resources primarily from Richmond’s East End neighborhood participated in putting together this life-sized 3-D puzzle. The raising took 4 hours where the teens worked as a team to figure out how to put together this 130 piece, 1100 pound timber frame. Along the way they learned about types of wood, history of rural structures, parts of a barn, and most importantly why team work is so important…. one person can’t raise a barn. Unknowingly, they employed their math, science, engineering skills to raise this Dutch-style barn with great success.

Thank you to principal, Mike Maruca, and his wonderful faculty and staff for allowing us into their school and sharing Teamworks & Timbers program with their students!

Teamworks and Timbers is the National Barn Alliance educational outreach program bringing youth face-to-face with America’s disappearing rural heritage and trades. The program is designed to plant the seed for preservation while sharing history and teaching science/engineering/construction skills to youth in grades 4-12.