Conestoga news

May 8, 2002 1:41 PM

Woodworking Students, Graduates Earn Achievement Honours

Sixteen students and graduates from two Conestoga College diploma programs -- Woodworking Technician and Woodworking Technology -- have been named achievement award winners for calendar year 2001 in a variety of categories.

Most of the awards are sponsored by woodworking manufacturing firms and associations, in recognition of the quality and importance of the programs offered by Conestoga at the Woodworking Centre of Ontario, located at the College’s Doon campus in Kitchener.

The 2001 award winners are:

Samantha Benton of Woodstock Samantha Benton has won the $250 John Roffey Memorial Award, sponsored by the Gibbard Furniture Shops of Napanee. The award recognizes a graduating student who displays self-confidence, dedication, humour, friendliness and a commitment to excellence.

Enrico Borghese of Guelph Enrico Borghese is winner of the $250 Architectural Millworkers of Ontario Supervisory Award, for outstanding aptitude for shop supervision as demonstrated in the Supervisory Practicum course.

Shawn Dickie of Kitchener Shawn Dickie has won two awards. The $250 John Csermak Bursary is for high achievement in all first-year vocational courses. The $250 Royce/Ayr Cutting Tool Machining Award
recognizes the second-year student with the best shop project, based on criteria of design and craft skills.

Chris Dubrick of Kitchener Chris Dubrick is winner of the $200 Bob Hoffman Memorial Award, for demonstration of the highest level of proficiency in wood machining.

Brian Edmondson of Guelph Brian Edmondson is winner of the $600 Peter Findlay Materials Bursary, which goes to a first-year student with outstanding achievement in the Materials course.

Josh Halbert of Kitchener Josh Halbert earned the $100 Mastercraft Technician Program-Level Award, for production of an outstanding technical project combining design and craft skills. He went on to win the $500 Conestoga College Mastercraft Award, which he received at his graduation in June 2001.

Stephen Kitchens of Oshawa Stephen Kitchens has won the $250 A&M Wood Specialty Award, which goes to the first-year student who achieves the highest overall mark in the Materials course.

Don MacKay of Limehouse Don MacKay is winner of the $100 Woodworking Centre of Ontario Faculty Award, for his devotion of time and effort above program requirements to promote Conestoga’s woodworking programs and the Woodworking Centre of Ontario.

David Pallen of Kitchener David Pallen has received a certificate as program-level winner in the annual Woodworking Centre Skills Canada Competition. He also recently won a gold medal in the postsecondary Cabinetmaking competition at the 13th annual Ontario Technological Skills Competition.

Tim Scholman of Grimsby Tim Scholman has won two awards. The $200 La-Z-Boy of Canada Award of Achievement goes to a third-year, graduating student with the highest academic standing in the final year of study. He also has won the Woodworking Magazine Award of Merit, a prize in recognition of outstanding computer skills, as demonstrated through project work combining working drawings and relevant documentation, employing a variety of software programs.

Tom Stoakley of Norwich Tom Stoakley is winner of the $250 Krug Award for Excellence, sponsored by Krug Furniture Inc., for achieving the highest overall academic standing in the two-year Woodworking Technician program.

Nathan Tompkins of Guelph Nathan Tompkins has won the $1,000 Storeimage Program Inc. Technician Award, for creation of the best product package developed in the Product Engineering course.

Matt Vanderburgh of New Hamburg Matt Vanderburgh is winner of the $250 S.C. Johnson and Son Award, which recognizes achievement of the highest academic standing in Finishing Theory courses.

Rick Vanderheide of London Rick Vanderheide has won second place in the Julius Blum Award for Excellence competition. The $100 award is for the crafting of a black cherry jewellery box in the Machining I - Practical course.

Pat VanDerWolf of Oakville Pat VanDerWolf has won the $250 A. Grant Glennie Award, which goes to the second-year student who achieves the highest academic standing in the Shop Management and Product Design courses.

Phil VanKesteren of Chatham Phil VanKesteren is winner of a $200 prize, the first-place honours in the Julius Blum Award for Excellence in Woodworking competition, for production of a black cherry jewellery box in the Machining I - Practical course. Evaluation is based on the fit of the mitre joints, lid, hinges, storage compartment, wood quality and finish.


Conestoga’s programs and facilities in woodworking education are the most advanced in Ontario, and have
achieved a national and international reputation. Woodworking Technician is a two-year program dealing with knowledge, skills and practical experience associated with the manufacture of cabinets, furniture and architectural millwork. The three-year, co-op Woodworking Technology program combines theoretical knowledge with practical production skills, as well as the study of advanced manufacturing, management and computerized production aspects of the wood products industry.

CONTACT: Mark Bramer, 519-748-5220, ext. 3468 <mbramer@conestogac.on.ca>