Business owner gives PDHS students tools to succeed!

By Casandra Turnbull

A PDHS graduate decided the best way to support the future leaders of tomorrow is by giving them the tools they need to succeed with today.

Phillip William James recently donated a $500 Canadian Tire gift card to Paris High School’s Construction and Custom Woodworking class, enabling teacher Peter Gumulak to purchase a DeWalt cordless edge trimmer, a DeWalt cordless palm sander and a few 8” F clamps.

The generous donation is helping students broaden their skillset and gain more confidence around power tools.

“Students feel more comfortable using some smaller hand driven tools, rather than the larger stationary tools,” explained Gumulak who taught the class from 2012 to 2014 and ever since his return to PDHS in 2017. “The students have been loving the new tools, I think I need to invest in more cordless, portable tools as the students will wait for one of the new tools to be available before getting out extension cords and plugging in tools!”

The donation was a no-brainer for Phil James, who owns Papa’s Auto Spa in Burford. He decided to invest in the students because the school holds many fond memories from his high school years. He graduated from PDHS in 2014. As a Paris Panther, he not only holds the title as the first student to field a touchdown in over 50 years when football returned in 2009, but James also took a couple shop classes under the guidance of Gumulak.

“He was my teacher for two years. As I was raised by a single mom, shop class was really my only chance to get hands-on with tools and projects. My favourite tool to use and spend time on was always the sander. I would spend hours sanding to get stuff perfect,” shared James

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He added that he loved creating cutting boards, custom canoe paddles and refinish old furniture. The skillset he picked up in Gumulak’s class came in handy at his first job after finishing high school.

“I was able to use the skills I learned in a real-life situation. My key role in that job was sanding the main wood beams near the front entrance (of a new restaurant) - skills Mr. G taught me and showed me how to perfect.”

Gumulak remembers James as a student who always exhibited a positive attitude and was easy to build a rapport with so it’s understandable that two have kept in touch over the years. “From myself and the PDHS construction students, a heartfelt thank-you very much for your very generous donation,”

Gumulak said. “It will help the students to achieve their full potential in the woodworking class.”

James credits his mother for raising him to recognize that it’s important to give back.

“I’m not rich by any means but this small gift was mostly to show people that no matter if you’re well off or not, giving back a small amount can help many people,” said James He also hopes more people will follow in his footsteps and donate if they can because today’s students are the future leaders and the more hands-on learning they can take in, the more productive members of society they will become.

“We need more trades people, and this is where it starts,” James said. If you’re not able to donate, James wants to remind people to simply smile more often because the world needs more positivity.