Tiverton students, carpentry CTE honored for new Picasset Hill Cemetery sign

Tiverton School Committee members on June 10 recognized Tiverton High School carpentry, art and engineering students for building a replacement sign for Picasset Hill Cemetery, a project requested by the Tiverton Cemetery Commission.

The project began after Cemetery Commission chair Bob Sodoma said the old sign “was showing better days” and a commission member recommended contacting the high school. Sodoma told the committee the sign “came out better than we could ever imagine” and thanked the students and staff for the work.

Teacher Bill Phillips, who led the carpentry students, said the project was a group effort between art students, engineering students and his carpentry class. Phillips said the art students “created the font and how the sign looks,” engineering students prepared the routing files and the carpentry class completed the build and installation. Two students, identified in the meeting as Cam and Jack, were recognized for their involvement.

Phillips also said donated materials from the program’s roughly 15–20 educational partners kept costs low and meant the Cemetery Commission incurred no expense for materials.

Committee members praised the student work as an example of the district’s career and technical education (CTE) offerings and the community-school partnerships they support. Chair (Madam Sheeran) urged residents to “spread the good word” about such projects and called the sign a “town project” that reflected school and community pride.

The recognition was presented during the committee’s regular meeting; no committee action was required or taken on the sign itself.