First Week of Field School

Some of the high-school students working to restore the Dutch Reformed Church in Newburgh, New York, shared their impressions of their first week.

Paxton Carlson, "I really enjoy this job, it’s a treat to know that I am helping the historic, yet almost completely ignored city of Newburgh, New York, regain its once gorgeous features and rich design that it had in the past. But as well as helping to restore this great building, I myself am learning a great deal. Bridging, used to help stabilize underneath the stage, was most definitely the best and most interesting part of my experience at the Dutch Reformed Church so far."

Diamond Fennell, "I really didn’t know that there were so many things to construction other than taking a hammer and nail and hitting it into a wall. Or what about the wood, like the different types of wood that will rot faster than others?"

Ronald Bell, "I have learned that it is very important to preserve our history in Newburgh. In the process of rebuilding the church I’ve done bridging and blocking to support the stage. I’ve also done a lot of cleaning."

Jean Carlos Bustamante, "The first week on my job seemed great. I’ve learned the importance of the Dutch Reformed Church and learned how long ago it was built. This is an incredible structure. So far what I’ve done was help clean the stage, and I’ve done blocking as well. This helped me realize that it takes commitment and effort to make something good happen. The potential in the Dutch Reformed Church is incredible. We can make this project come true if we continue putting in the same amount of effort as we are right now."

Karisma Parson, "Teamwork is the key and that’s why we get so much done. We get really dirty and I think that shows how much work we have gotten done. I’m looking forward to the end to see how everything is going to turn out and to see all of our hard work."