Effort at Nashua middle school fixes up furniture, aids needy in community

NASHUA – Until a few weeks ago, Gerard Ntakirutimana kept his books, colored pencils and other small belongings on the floor under his desk. But Saturday he happily showed off his new book shelf, already stuffed with books, knick-knacks and photos of family. Ntakirutimana, a 13-year-old Fairgrounds Middle School seventh-grader, and his family moved to Nashua when he was 7, after living in a Tanzania refugee camp for years. Life hasn’t always been easy in the United States, but he said he’s been impressed by the kindness of people in the city and in his schools. The program that helped get him his new bookcase helped to build that impression. “It makes me feel really nice,” Ntakirutimana said. The bookcase, along with three kitchen chairs, were donated to the family by a new program at Fairgrounds that takes in old, unwanted furniture, has students fix it up and then gives it away to local families in need. The program was the brainchild of tech education teacher Bill Dubois, who after more than 30 years of teaching in the school district changed his classroom environment to one filled with wood, paint and nails. “I was looking for something different,” he said. “This has revitalized my desire to be in the classroom.” And it didn’t take long for students to jump on board, giving up lunch periods and coming in before school to work on fixing up the furniture. “It makes us feel really good,” seventh-grader Nathan Lowell said. The project started at the middle school about three months ago, after Dubois brought in a family member’s table to be refinished. A group of students asked if they could help repair the furniture, and they got hooked. After hearing about the students’ enthusiasm, Dubois’ wife suggested he turn the idea into a community service program, asking for donations of used or broken furniture from the community, refurbishing them and giving them out to those in need. The group has worked on several projects already this year, painting a set of chairs and refinishing another, repairing a number of side tables, coffee tables and desks, and even working on a leather recliner that was misaligned and ripped. Dubois has worked with middle school social worker Scott Jaquith to find families in need.