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[Editor’s Note: This article is syndicated in collaboration with The Forum — the student newspaper of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. You can also read the article on the Forum’s website here.]
Each day, students at LS have walked, drove, or gazed past the rustic brown shed that lives in the parking lot. I am positive that almost all of those students have thought about the true purpose of what that small building is, and why it is still there, yet never looked deep enough to find the truth. It sits there through the passing seasons, watching students go to school each day, holding so much history as it continues to stand after many years. With that in mind, I took it upon myself to figure out the who, how, and why behind this historic cabin.
What many don’t know is that the idea behind building the shed was created by a retired history teacher, who taught at Lincoln-Sudbury for 35 years, named Bill Schechter. He was fascinated by an American author, philosopher, and naturalist named Henry David Thoreau, who was heavily intrigued by the nature and world surrounding him. This highly knowledgeable teacher researched everything there was to know about this historical figure who lived in a wooden cabin near Walden Pond. There were a few reasons why Mr. Schechter wanted to discover the hidden truths about Thoreau. The first was as a history teacher, it excited him to find out there was so much unknown history in the land around him. This made him excited to learn by himself and to share with his students and fellow coworkers. Another reason was that Schechter was very into nature as well as Thoreau, so he wanted to understand the discoveries of the same land back then. This learning experience turned into a hobby and a highly pleasurable topic to research, so he made and taught a class called “Meet Mr. Thoreau” all about this historical figure. A very popular course like this made lots of students interested in learning about history closely related to the environment around them.
The course became such a success that Bill Schechter decided to create a replica of the cabin Thoreau used to live in. However, there were a few challenges that Bill encountered while conducting this project. The first one was he did not know how to build, therefore Schechter decided to contact the shop teacher at the time to help him bring his idea to life.Together the two teachers taught a class that consisted of learning about Thoreau, working on building skills, and finally building the actual cabin. The second challenge was finding the money in order to make the shed. While Bill planned how to get funding, the school was experiencing budget cuts, so that wasn’t an option. Bill then applied for a grant, and was able to receive 10,000 dollars, so he set his plan in motion. He was able to gather blueprints from the actual home of Thoreau when he realized they were available, and the class began to build what would become a monumental structure.
The class consisted of many types of kids, an equal number of boys and girls. A simple topic like this shows how learning more about a local historical figure could spark the interest of many high schoolers. Many of them had never held a tool before, however the goal was they wanted to build it with as few power tools as possible. It was clear this would be a challenge, yet the team persevered and didn’t quit when things got difficult. When the course ended, most of the kids volunteered to use their free time and continue building the cabin.
The cabin was built in that particular space for multiple reasons. The first being it was in one of the old courtyards from the previous high school building that was overlooked by the science wing. Bill explained how it was his favorite out of all the courtyards, and it was in line with window panels so people could see it as they walked past to get to their next class. There were also some more heartfelt reasons for why Schechter put the shed where he did. Bill wanted people to look at the cabin and ask questions about it, wonder deeply about it, and know the stories behind it. He also wanted to encourage young students to study history outside of school, and to be knowledgeable about people like Henry David Thoreau.
Understanding why the cabin still stands is also important to note. Kristen Fox, who grew up in and now lives in Sudbury with her family, had a brother, Eric Drobinski, who passed away during his second year of college. Eric had a very successful athletic life, and was very connected to Thoreau, enjoyed nature, and kept a journal. He joined the course to help build the cabin out of enjoyment and curiosity towards this topic. After he died and Bill Schechter retired, the cabin was left in the hands of the family, who suffered the loss of their relative. Kristen and her family, including her son Jonathan, who is now a sophomore at LS, periodically clean the cabin and make sure it is kept in good shape.
One hidden message I discovered while preparing to write this article was that you don’t have to learn everything you know in school. It’s okay to ask questions, and value things that don’t get a lot of attention, yet they mean a lot to you. That is exactly what Thoreau did, what Bill Schechter did, and what all of the students at Lincoln-Sudbury should do too. Ask questions, find the answers, and make your mark on the world.