From left, Mt. Ararat Middle School students Carter Decker and Keegan Pennell work on building a canoe with their teacher, Joe Sleeman. Each student built their own canoe as part of a hands-on learning project. (Jamie Mauro photo)

Building a canoe isn’t just an exercise for the hands — it also engages the mind in a variety of ways.

In the case of Mt. Ararat Middle School students Keegan Pennell and Carter Decker, canoe-building has become a gateway to developing a greater passion for learning in general.

Keegan, a Harpswell eighth grader, and Carter, a Bowdoin seventh grader, were approached in 2022 by one of their teachers, Joe Sleeman, who had a hunch that giving them a complex, hands-on project to tackle might boost their enthusiasm for school.

His hunch was correct.

The boys couldn’t believe their good fortune, Sleeman said, adding that both students at the Topsham middle school worked diligently on their canoe projects and couldn’t wait for the next class. The experience even led to improved performance in other subjects, he said.

It’s a great example of how teaching that aligns with students’ learning styles can lead to significant improvement in engagement and academic performance, school officials said. Sleeman added that he feels lucky to work for a school district that allows and encourages outside-the-box teaching strategies.

“I’ve been (teaching) for like 35 years, and this is a dream — to have a big enough space, to have administrative support, and that’s how this came about,” he said. “And it can make such a huge difference.”

Mt. Ararat Middle School eighth grader Keegan Pennell, of Harpswell, uses a rotary sander on the canoe he built in teacher Joe Sleeman’s class as part of a hands-on learning project. (Jamie Mauro photo)
Mt. Ararat Middle School student Carter Decker, of Bowdoin, applies sealant to his canoe while working outdoors in summer 2023. Carter is one of two students who recently built their own canoes in teacher Joe Sleeman’s class. (Jamie Mauro photo)

Carter took home his finished canoe in the summer of 2023, when he launched and paddled it for the first time with his family. Keegan’s craft was completed in December 2023, when he finished adding features to turn it into a duck hunting skiff.

“I came into school looking forward to it every day,” Keegan said about the project. “I didn’t think it was going to be quite this big. It came out good.”

Carter, who chose not to be interviewed, was just as dedicated and enthusiastic about the project as Keegan, Sleeman said.

The two students worked together regularly and helped each other throughout their respective projects, Sleeman said, planning and executing each step of the way. They had to follow complex instructions, use mathematics, make precise measurements, and work with a variety of tools to craft their canoes.

Heidi O’Leary, superintendent of schools for Maine School Administrative District 75, said she has long been a supporter of hands-on, project-based learning. MSAD 75 covers Harpswell, Topsham, Bowdoin and Bowdoinham.

O’Leary said that when she was an educator in Biddeford, she worked with the Portland-based behavioral health and education nonprofit Spurwink Services on its Compass Project, a boat-building initiative for at-risk youth.

She said the project’s motto was, “The kids build the boats, but the boats build the kids.”

Mt. Ararat Middle School teacher Joe Sleeman stands next to a canoe built by one of his students, eighth grader Keegan Pennell. (J. Craig Anderson photo)
Mt. Ararat Middle School eighth grader Keegan Pennell, of Harpswell, sits in the canoe he built in teacher Joe Sleeman’s class as part of a hands-on learning project. Keegan called Sleeman “a great teacher.” (J. Craig Anderson photo)

O’Leary said enabling hands-on projects requires not only an awareness of students’ individual needs, but also creativity on the part of school administrators to come up with the funding. Still, she said there are ways to make it happen.

“Whatever it might take, I try to figure out a way, and I try to encourage folks to figure out a way to get it done,” O’Leary said.

The superintendent said allowing activities such as the canoe-building project can not only increase students’ motivation but their teachers’, as well. She praised Sleeman, the middle school teacher, for his work ethic and ability to generate trust and a solid rapport with his students.

“Joe is able to really build relationships with his students — that’s his gift,” O’Leary said.

Sleeman returned the praise, saying it takes district leaders who understand the value of alternative learning approaches to empower teachers to do the best job they can for their kids.

“It took someone in a position like Heidi is in to recognize this and then do something about it,” he said.

Sleeman added that he doesn’t work alone. He credited the support of his close colleagues, paraprofessionals Jamie Mauro and Lori York, for helping to make the canoe-building project a success.

Keegan, the Harpswell eighth grader, said he is already looking forward to the next big project.

“I’m pretty sure I’m building a bedframe as soon as I get this (canoe) out of here,” he said.

Have a comment or news tip? Email J. Craig Anderson at craig@harpswellanchor.org.