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Havelock High woodworking program emphasizes safety, business skills and industry credentials
Summary
A Havelock High School student and the program instructor described hands-on safety rules, machine training, business operations and nationally recognized credentials available through the school woodworking program.
A Havelock High School woodworking program teaches machine safety, project-based carpentry and business skills, according to a current student and the class instructor.
The program’s instructor, Shannon Dailey, said students learn machine checkout procedures, always use a student spotter and train on safety-focused equipment such as a SawStop table saw. Student Johnny, 16, said the class helped him learn math, teamwork and responsibility and called it “the best class I’ve ever taken in my life.”
Dailey described step-by-step safety practices that include a formal checkout on machines before students use them and assigning a student spotter whose sole responsibility is safety. “If you were to touch the blade, the saw stop engages,” Dailey said, explaining how the SawStop blade protection works.
The course sequence starts with first-year projects such as a single-piece phone stand and a basic box, which Dailey described as the foundation for later furniture work. Second-year students progress to cabinetry, furniture building and smaller products they may sell. Dailey said students sometimes use a lathe for woodturning and work with hand tools and router tables; he listed equipment including a combination disc-and-belt sander, a drill press, a SawStop table saw and a band saw.
Students also run a business component called the Grama Shop, where they prepare resumes, write business and marketing plans, perform cost and market analysis, design products and create marketing materials. Dailey said some students make Google sites and business cards; Johnny noted New Bern High School’s print shop printed cards for the program.
The class offers industry-recognized credentials. Dailey said second-year students can earn a saw-blade certification through the Woodworking Career Alliance (WCA), which he described as a nationally recognized woodworking credential. First-year students also earn OSHA 10 construction certifications. Dailey said the WCA credential requires precise, demonstrable skills.
Students described the program as practical preparation for employment and further training. Johnny said the course helped him start businesses and apply learned skills outside school.
Dailey said he enjoys teaching the course and called it his “dream job,” adding he looks forward to continuing to run the program at Havelock High School.
The interview covered the program’s instructional sequence, safety procedures, equipment, business-run component and credentials; no formal votes or policy decisions were recorded during the conversation.
