Students build giant wooden megaphone to amplify nature sounds

By Meghan Daniels

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    BELLE ISLE, Michigan (WXYZ) — Detroit students traded in keyboards and textbooks for saws and sandpaper this summer to craft a device that lets visitors tune in to the chirps, whispers, and rustles of nature.

Belle Isle now offers visitors a chance to hear the island’s natural sounds clearer than ever, thanks to a giant wooden megaphone designed specifically to enhance the outdoor experience.

“My favorite part was seeing everybody come together and, just, while we’re all just a big group while building it,” said Tyler Paige, a student who participated in the project.

The megaphone was part of a summer project through Atlantic Impact. Matthew Clayton, Senior Director of Programs for the organization, explained their main goal is to help students find their career paths.

“We do that through training and exposure, career opportunities, and just helping students take the steps that they need to kind of get the careers that they want in the future,” Clayton said.

This project gave students a taste of carpentry, which was a new experience for many.

“It was my first time doing carpentry. I really didn’t know anything, so it was really nice being a part of a big project like that,” said Ashley Sigala, another student participant.

For high school students like Paige and Sigala, the experience was about more than just learning to build.

“I feel really good about it cause it’s like being a part of something so nice and like in a beautiful environment, it just gives me a good feeling,” Paige said.

Sigala shared similar sentiments about seeing their creation in a public space, “I know that you built this like I’ll see you soon, so it’s really nice like knowing that I built it well, not me alone, but… I had a lot of people helping.”

Clayton says watching the students work through the process was like seeing a real job site come to life.

“Seeing some of the triumphs that they had, the successes, them kind of going back and forth, making mistakes, correcting those mistakes. It was just kind of a good thing to kinda watch that process from start to finish,” Clayton said.

The project allowed students to discover what they enjoyed about carpentry, as well as aspects they found challenging.

“My favorite was probably when we started building everything, getting the pieces together,” Sigala said.

Not every part of the process was enjoyable, however.

“My least favorite was the measurements, it was not fun and we had to remeasure so the pieces could fit in together,” Sigala said.

“My least favorite part was trying to find the angles of the megaphone,” added Paige.

Despite the challenges, everyone involved expressed pride in seeing their work come to life and have a lasting impact on the community.

“I think that’s exciting, like it’s not every time, it’s not every day that you get a chance to build something that can kind of last decades,” Clayton said.

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