Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

One of LI’s strengths is its local ties, ties that are deepened through community engagement. This fall, students in Rick Angell’s Introduction to Woodworking class embraced this spirit through a special project with the town of Burke. 

It all started when resident Don Hale reached out to Angell. The town recently developed a series of trails in one of Burke’s three municipal forests, and Hale thought it would be nice to install some custom-made signage, a project that fit perfectly with Angell’s course.

“We do a sign project every year, so it was good timing,” said Angell. “It’s a great opportunity for my students to combine artistry and craftsmanship.” 

As Director of Operations, Angell’s primary duty at LI focuses on the school’s many buildings and enterprises, from overseeing the dorm program to managing the school’s buildings and other facilities. But for the skilled woodworker and talented furniture maker, the course offers Angell a chance to share a personal passion with students.

“For me, teaching woodworking is something fun and allows me to explore a hobby of mine. Early in my career, my focus was on coaching football and teaching physical education, but as the years passed, my interests shifted.

“I tell my students: when it comes to woodworking, if you work with your hands you’re a builder; if you work with your hands and your head you’re a craftsman; if you work with your hands, your head, and your heart, then you’re an artist. My goal is to get kids to become craftsmen and, ultimately, artists.”

The sign-making project not only combines artistry with craftsmanship, it also gives students a chance to incorporate technology. 

“Kids always have the option of pulling C&C tech into woodworking, and this project is a great example. It just adds another layer into something basic that can get kids excited.”

It starts on the computer, where Angell introduces students to Canva, a program for layout and design, which the class uses to plan its work. “We want to make each sign unique,” Angell said, “something that is aesthetically pleasing in terms of how the text and images work together.”

From there, designs are exported from Canva into Corel Draw, which students use in conjunction with the C&C machine to translate the design into something the laser can burn onto signs cut from pine or cedar. A round of finish sanding and a coat of polyurethane completes the job.

The project also serves as a great recruitment tool for one of Angell’s J Term classes—Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign—named in honor of the classic rock song by the Five Man Electric Band and later covered by the heavy metal band Tesla. (“Gives me a good excuse to play the song for them in class,” Angell joked.)

It was this J Term class that led Burke resident Don Hale to reach out to Angell for the collaboration. 

“I had seen all the beautiful signs students made on display during exhibition night at the end of J Term last year,” Hale said. “It caught my eye.”

Angell partnered with LI Registrar and Hale’s daughter-in-law, Peg Hale, who designed a beautiful sign for her in-laws’ 50th wedding anniversary. Hale was so moved by the craftsmanship, he approached Angell last spring for help with another project. 

“We’ve been working hard to develop three different town forest areas here in Burke,” Hale explained. “Rick’s class made a beautiful entrance sign last spring for the Willey Woods Town Forest. We recently finished a network of footpaths there, so I thought it would be nice to install a series of trail signs to go with them, something attractive and unique.”

Angell’s class ended up producing twelve signs for the Willey Woods. “Everyone says they’re incredible,” Hale remarked. “I was really happy we were able to work with Lyndon Institute on this project—it’s a great school, and I appreciate what they’re doing with the students.”

Hale offered to reimburse the school for the work they did, but Angell declined. “We have an ability to create something like this, and we want to be a good neighbor to our surrounding towns,” he said. “The students and I were happy to oblige.”