Every day at Bendix Academy, something substantive is being passed on. We bring together mentors and students who share skills, confidence, and a way of thinking that builds both hands and character, from one generation to the next.

As demand grows, from students eager to learn and communities seeking a stronger pre-workforce pipeline, we’re often asked how this all began, and where it’s going next. This issue tells that story: how we recognized the need for Toolmanship Mentoring, and the mission that continues to guide us, ensuring these vital skills are passed on to the next generation.

We have so much older talent in our community.

What a clever idea to use our experienced, older generations to teach toolmanship to the next generation.

Let’s pass it on to our young citizens.

​Bendix Academy creates a place for generations to come together to spend time exploring, teaching, and learning the mechanical world together. Bendix Academy is merely the facilitator of available community resources to prepare our youth for the skilled workforce of tomorrow.

We schedule shoulder-to-shoulder Toolmanship lessons between students as young as 12 with a mentor that is often one, two or three generations older.

Respect, civility, and professional behavior are embedded in each lesson. Nothing but good comes from pairing generations together for a few hours a week.

For thousands of years, this kind of learning did not require a program, a curriculum, or even a name.

It happened naturally within families. Fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and neighbors passed down the use of tools, the understanding of materials, and the quiet confidence that comes from solving problems with one’s own hands. It was not formalized, but it was deeply understood—a responsibility carried by one generation to the next.

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Bendix Academy’s First Student-Built Shed Project

Real tools. Real construction. Real learning. And an opportunity for our community to help build the next generation.

What if a simple storage shed could teach a young person how to read construction drawings, measure and cut lumber, frame walls, understand roof construction, solve problems, and discover the pride of building something with their own hands?

That’s exactly what we’re planning at Bendix Academy!

We’re launching our first Student-Built Shed Project, inviting young people ages 12 and older to learn the fundamentals of residential carpentry through the construction of an approximately 8′ × 10′ storage building. But this won’t be an ordinary shed.

We’re building it using the techniques and materials of residential home construction—because the real purpose isn’t to build a shed. It’s to build knowledge, confidence, craftsmanship, and mechanical self-reliance. And we’re inviting our community to help make it happen!

​One of our volunteer mentors, Mr. Beckwith, has participated in mission trips where young people help build sheds for others. Watching those students work, he saw firsthand just how much they were learning about carpentry, about teamwork, patience, problem-solving, and the satisfaction of completing something useful.

He realized that the experience could be a perfect fit for Bendix Academy’s Toolmanship Mentoring program. Why not give our own students the opportunity to learn residential construction by actually building a small structure? And voilà! Our Student-Built Shed Project was born.

A Small Building With Big Lessons

There’s a world of difference between assembling a prefabricated shed kit and learning how a building is constructed.

Rather than taking shortcuts to produce a building as quickly as possible, we’re approaching this project as an introduction to residential construction.

Students will help build a real structure, with a framed floor, walls, roof, doors, window, siding, and weather protection. We’ll use house-grade materials and recognizable residential building practices to help them understand not just how a building is assembled, but why it’s built that way.

Working alongside experienced volunteer mentors, students will have opportunities to explore the principles behind quality construction while gaining experience with tools, materials, and techniques used in the building trades.

Our goal is a well-built storage shed—and students who understand what makes it well built.

What Does It Take to Build a Shed?
More Than You Might Think!

Every stage of construction offers another opportunity for students to learn something useful.

Depending on their experience, interests, and the stage of the project, students may explore:

Help Us Build It! Become a Project Sponsor or Industry Partner.

We’re looking for community supporters who share our belief that young people need opportunities to learn how things work, develop useful skills, and discover what they’re capable of accomplishing.

There are several ways to help, and contributions of any size are welcome.

Donate Building Materials

Building suppliers, hardware stores, lumberyards, manufacturers, contractors, and individuals may be able to provide materials needed for construction.

Our wish list includes:

• Pressure-treated lumber and framing lumber.
• Plywood, subflooring, and structural sheathing.
• Roofing shingles, underlayment, and flashing materials.
• Housewrap and other weatherproofing products.
• Exterior siding, soffits, trim, and related accessories.
• Windows and exterior doors.
• Nails, screws, adhesives, and other construction fasteners.
• Other materials and supplies needed to complete the project.

Roof trusses have already been generously donated!

Donated materials should meet project specifications so our students can learn using appropriate residential construction products. We’ll be happy to discuss which materials are most useful as the project progresses.

Make a Financial Contribution

You don’t need to be in the building industry to help build something meaningful!

Financial contributions of any size will help purchase materials and supplies that haven’t been donated, obtain needed professional services, and support the instructional activities surrounding the project.

Whether you can give $50, $100, $250, $500, or another amount, your gift will help turn this idea into a real learning experience.

Contribute Professional Expertise or Services

We’re also seeking assistance from professionals who can share their knowledge and help ensure that our students learn sound residential construction practices.

Opportunities may include architectural and construction drawings, engineering guidance, material estimating, technical review, construction consultation, and related services.

Experienced building professionals can offer something especially valuable: the knowledge and judgment that come from years of working in the field.

Let Us Recognize Your Generosity!

We’re proud of our community partners, and we’d love to recognize the businesses and individuals who make this project possible.

Sponsors and Industry Partners will have the option of receiving public recognition, which may include:

• Business names or logos displayed on a project sponsorship sign alongside the shed during construction and public presentation.
• Recognition on Bendix Academy’s website.
• Acknowledgment in project updates and community communications.
• Recognition when the completed shed is presented to the community.
• An opportunity to be included on a permanent recognition plaque, subject to final arrangements with the shed’s purchaser.

Participation and recognition opportunities can be tailored to each sponsor’s interests and contributions.

Whether you donate money, materials, or professional services, we’ll be grateful for your support.

When the Shed Is Finished, Its Impact Will Continue!

One of the most exciting aspects of this project is what happens after the last nail is driven and the final piece of trim is installed.

We plan to offer the completed shed to the community through a public charity auction, with the highest qualified bidder purchasing a useful, carefully constructed storage building.

Proceeds from the sale will support Bendix Academy’s Toolmanship Mentoring program, helping us provide more young people with hands-on opportunities to learn, explore, and develop practical skills.

That means the project can make a difference twice:

First, donated materials, financial contributions, and professional expertise will provide a hands-on learning experience for our students.

Then, proceeds from the finished shed will help Bendix Academy continue preparing young people for a lifetime of mechanical self-reliance.

The finished building will be a source of pride for our students, their mentors, and everyone in the community who helped make it possible.

Auction details, including bidding procedures, timing, and pickup arrangements, will be announced when the project is nearing completion.

Help Us Build More Than a Shed!

Think about what this project could mean to a young person.

The first time they confidently operate an unfamiliar tool.

The moment they discover why a perfectly square frame matters.

The satisfaction of solving a construction problem with the guidance of an experienced mentor.

And finally, standing in front of a completed building and proudly saying:

“I helped build that!”

That’s the kind of experience Bendix Academy strives to give every student.

And that’s why we’re asking our community to help us make this first shed-building project a success.

Your contribution—large or small, financial or in-kind—can help turn building materials into knowledge, confidence, and opportunity.

Ready to Help Us Build?

Become a Project Sponsor or Industry Partner! We’d love to talk with you about how your business, organization, or family can participate.

Contact:

Bendix Academy: Wrenching REAL change!

Teaching Toolmanship. Building Confidence. Inspiring Futures.

Wendy Zielen
Executive & Development Director
Bendix Academy
todd@bendixacademy.org
810-599-4035

Support Tomorrow's Toolmen TODAY for less than a latte!