Lily Rosenberg ‘22
Photo courtesy of Nikki Marzella.
Nikki Marzella ‘22 is the October Artist of the Month for her work in woodshop. Marzella illustrates her love and dedication for the subject by constantly working on projects outside of class and demonstrating a strong connection with her teacher. John Binstock, Woodshop teacher, comments on Marzella’s hard work, stating, “Nikki is a focused student who spends her class time productively working on her projects. She is one of the more experienced students in the Honors Woodworking class, which allows her to independently develop her skills and craftsmanship while helping her classmates.” Marzella’s strong relationship with Binstock allows her to enjoy the class even more, she explains.“Mr. Binstock also created a really fun, and relaxing environment in the woodshop that quickly made it my favorite class.”
Marzella’s interest in woodshop began long before her first freshman class. She comments on how she became involved in woodshop, stating, “Actually freshman year I took a 3D class and I really enjoyed it, but I’ve always done some woodworking stuff with my dad and grandpa so I thought I would like it more.” Art serves as an outlet for Marzella from the chaos of school, as she explains, “It takes my mind off all the stress from my other classes, and lets me move around and experiment with my projects.” She further describes how projects have helped her problem-solve and become more adaptive to setbacks, saying, “Last year I went into the class wanting to make this big cabinet to store my sports equipment, but I liked the problem solving and working with all the equipment much more than I expected.” She continues, “The class has taught me to be more independent, mostly because when I say I don’t know what to do next and ask for help, Mr. Binstock tells me to just go figure it out. Although it’s really frustrating, it’s helped me make better decisions and understand why I’m doing what I am.” Marzella describes her takeaways from the subject and expresses her love for the class as a whole, stating, “I definitely love the environment in the woodshop and the independence we’re given with our work. It’s also just a genuinely fun class for me, and I love being hands on with such big projects. I like that the class gives you really valuable life skills, and has allowed me to be more creative with my separate projects.”
Marzella describes the impact of woodshop on her life, mentioning “When I started last year I didn’t know how to use a lot of the equipment and I was in a small class of seniors, so I was definitely intimidated. Fortunately, I was able to work alone for our first project which really helped me problem-solve by myself, and gain experience.” Binstock adds to Marzella’s comments saying, “Nikki has a desire to only give her best at anything she makes. She is a critical thinker that takes the time to think through design and fabrication challenges before asking questions, which highlights her individual problem-solving ability.”