P-TECH BUILD students create library boxes for Buffalo’s East Side
Standing amongst ninth-grade students in the P-TECH Build program, Jillian Hanesworth looked to convey the importance of their work building library boxes to be placed around Buffalo’s East Side.
The city of Buffalo’s first-ever poet laureate explained the boxes were more than just a holder of books. The boxes could provide readers with stories of characters reflecting themselves, and share history that uplifted its readers to “not feel like victims.”
“You are helping us provide something to our community that we have not had ever,” Hanesworth said. “I’m hoping that this is one stepping stone toward making our communities feel more empowered and more seen and heard, and you’re playing a really huge role in that.”
Hanesworth has been seeking to add the library boxes across Buffalo’s East Side as a part of her Buffalo Books program, which she developed after seeing community libraries while walking other communities of Buffalo.
“I would take books out, and I would remember thinking 'I wish we had these in the neighborhood I grew up in,’” she said, noting she grew up in the area of Buffalo’s Kensington and Bailey avenues.
The idea made its way to the classroom of the Potter Career and Technical Center after instructor Michael Ortman heard Hanesworth discuss her efforts in a radio interview in early 2022, and he decided it was the ideal project for his ninth-grade students. In addition to gaining experience working with a client, he said the project teaches students about design, technical drawing, material and cost analysis and production work.
“This projects lends itself easily into design work, and that translates into the skills they’ve already learned and continue to develop,” Ortman said.
Describing himself as a literacy advocate, Ortman said he also saw the value in getting the boxes into the community.
“Literacy is literacy,” Ortman said. “We need more of it.”
Hanesworth said she was in disbelief when Ortman first reached out to offer his class’ support of the project.
“I marked it unread and had to read it again,” she said. “I was so excited.”
The students’ work was well underway prior to the deadly attack on May 14, 2022 at a Tops grocery store at Jefferson Avenue on Buffalo’s East Side. Given the extent of the tragedy to the community, students felt an even greater importance in participating in the project.
Joy Rice, a freshman from Maryvale Union Free School District, said she was excited for the day she could see a box she worked on in the community.
“It’s going to be a proud moment,” she said. “It’s be great to make something to help the kids.”
Jonathan Wypij, a freshman from Depew Union Free School District, said the project was a way to reinforce the skills he had learned in class in a positive way.
“I feel like I’m helping the community,” he said. “I’m really happy to be helping other people.”
Hanesworth said she was excited to see the young students learning practical skills, and hoped they would take pride in their work on the project.
“I want this project to feel like something owned by the community,” she said.
When the boxes are completed, the plan is for the set to be painted by local artists before being installed in locations across Buffalo’s East Side. Hanesworth said the finished boxes can serve as community art installations when they reach their new homes.
P-TECH BUILD is a six-year program for youth looking to join the construction trades. In addition to earning a zero-cost associates degree from SUNY Erie Community College, the program offers a rigorous Technical-Endorsed Regents Diploma and college coursework with embedded work-based learning. All leading to a career pathway in the high-demand Construction Industry field with strong earning potential.
P-TECH BUILD partners include Erie 1 BOCES, SUNY Erie Community College, Cheektowaga CSD, Cheektowaga-Sloan UFSD, Cleveland Hill UFSD, Depew UFSD, Maryvale UFSD and numerous construction and electrical businesses.
More information about Hanesworth’s Buffalo Books project can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/buffalove-books. Learn more about P-TECH BUILD at https://www.e1b.org/en/k-12-education-programs/p-tech.aspx