Great Expectations School eighth-graders pause in their yurt construction for a photo. (L-R, front) Karl Bottorff, Andy Kern, Nina Woerheide. (L-R, back) Klaus Bottorff, David Blackburn, Noah Works, Cedric Rock, Linnea Henrikson, Lucy Callender, Finn Garry.
The eighth-grade class at Great Expectations School—the Otters—spent some time at North House Folk School this winter, designing and constructing a yurt. The yurt will be used at Great Expectations as an outdoor classroom and meeting space. And, it will be a legacy of the students who enjoyed the hands-on learning experience.
As North House instructors Matthew Brown and Ian Andrus and the students put the finishing touches on the yurt, the News-Herald asked students if they would ever build another.
“If I get a chance, yes!” replied Andy Kern.
“Absolutely,” said Finn Garry, “I’ll do it again.”
Asked what was their favorite part about building a yurt, David Blackburn said, “Putting it up.”
Putting it up seems as though it would be a daunting task, but Noah Works said it wasn’t too difficult. “After you get a few boards up, it stayed in place.”
Upper left: Finn Garry takes a measurement. Lower left: Matthew Brown watches as Nina Woerheide operates the heavyduty sewing machine. Top: Noah Works and Ian Andrus put part of the yurt puzzle together. Above: The “roof” of the yurt is a work of art.
Cedric Rock said his favorite part was using the tools and cutting.
The planning was Andy Kern’s favorite part of the project. He said a lot of planning goes into constructing a yurt. Instructor Ian Andrus agreed, noting that there is a lot of detail to consider. For instance, 350 knots are needed to hold the yurt’s lattice sides in place.
Knots that would have been rawhide in a Mongolian-built yurt. Using nylon instead was the only nod to modern technology. The rest of the yurt was built entirely without metal, said Andrus. The frame was crafted from local black ash, a “nice flexible wood,” Andrus said.
After being assembled inside the North House red building, it was then disassembled to be taken to the Great Expectations campus, where it will serve as a reminder of the Otter students who built it.
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