Maine Coast ‘26: A Culminating Experience in the Woodshop and on the River

 

This spring, Belmont Hill senior Fitz Courtney ‘26 found himself submerged in the Sheepscot River in Boothbay, Maine, much to his classmates' amusement. “We were kind of all joking around that someone on this trip was going to fall in, and everyone thought it would be me,” explained his classmate Cam Kelley ‘26. “It was pretty funny to see that Fitz had fallen in the water.”

 

“He claims that Leopold pushed him,” added Cam’s classmate and future St. Lawrence University Baseball teammate Jack O’Brien ‘26. “I was behind him, and all of a sudden I just saw him tip, and the boat was filled with water."

The incident was part of the Maine Coast Senior Inquiry Class’s annual trip to Boothbay, where students row in the canoes they spent the semester building by hand.

The class is available to seniors in the second semester and has been taught by woodworking teacher and Athletic Director George Tahan for the past ten years. “Chris Zamore, who was in the English department, started it, and it's a combination of an English class and an arts class,” said Mr. Tahan. The class involves reading works by Maine authors, primarily short stories about the coast of Maine and the history of birch bark canoes, which are what the students model their own canoes after. 

“The entire semester is building your own 14-foot skin-on-frame canoe. And the goal is to take the canoes and go up to the Sheepscot River and have a little exploration and camp out,” said Mr. Tahan. “I think the kids get a sense of fulfillment ultimately out of something they built with their own hands, that is consistent with what Native Americans did when they built birch bark canoes in that tradition, and then being able to use it to accomplish a trip and stretch themselves in a way that they probably don't when they're home.”

Reflecting on the class, it’s the boys' time with each other, joking, working with their hands, paddling, and building, that seems to stick with them most. “We had a really good class, just every day working with each other, and Mr. Tahan’s great,” says Jack. The boys, with varying levels of woodworking experience, are guided through a variety of techniques, including steam bending. Jack O'Brien, who had taken both Woodworking I and Woodworking II prior to Maine Coast, and Cam Kelley, who had taken no woodworking prior, were both able to complete beautiful canoes during the class. On the bow and stern of each boy's canoe, they are given the opportunity to laser engrave a design of their choice. Students engrave nicknames, crests, quotes, and entire pictures onto their boats, leaving each boat with an imprint of each boy's personality. 

Over the years, Mr. Tahan has seen how the class leaves a consistently impactful impression on the boys.“It's a fun class, and I know the experience on the trip has always been a good one that kids have come back and said thank you for that opportunity that they might not otherwise ever have done.” The boys clearly agreed with their teacher and shared his enthusiasm when asked about the class. 

The class is open to all seniors, regardless of their previous woodworking coursework, and the shared experiences in the woodshop and on the river provide a fantastic opportunity for the group to bond in their final months on campus.  As Cam explains, “The lasting impact this trip is going to have on me is that when you can get a group of guys together, getting away from mainstream stuff, you can have a lot of fun, no matter what the group is. I wouldn't say everyone in the group were best buddies when we were here, but the camaraderie that we had on that trip had an impact on me, that no matter who it is or what the situation is, we're gonna find a way to have fun, have a good time. That kind of just sums up what Belmont Hill is and why I love this place so much.”