Using bottle caps, wire, string and a handful of tools, Candie Cooper taught Eisenhower Elementary fifth-graders Friday how to make jewelry out of metal. Her metal workshop at the Warsaw school was part of the Honeywell Center Educational Outreach program. Honeywell receives endowments and gifts from people and businesses who pay for the Educational Outreach. It services all of Northeast Indiana, including Kosciusko, Wabash, Huntington, Whitley and Marshall counties. Cooper has a studio in Wabash and has been part of the Outreach program for four years. She appears on the PBS Show “Hands On Crafts For Kids.” She has written books and recorded DVDs on making jewelry. She’s working on her fifth book and her current book is “Metalworking 101 for Beaders.” Two of her DVDs are “Remixed Media: Transforming Metal Found Objects for Your Jewelry” and “Remixed Media: Making Custom Beads and Pendants with Acrylic & Wood.” Cooper told the fifth-graders in Dennis Allison’s class, “I started making jewelry in the sixth grade and that’s not much older than you.” She said it takes her about two years to write a book. She also does all her own sketches, drawings and photographs for her books. Janet Halderman, a Honeywell Center representative, accompanied Cooper to the school. She said Honeywell tries to have a variety of programming, from country and gospel music to Broadway musicals and shows. The Educational Outreach program has sent a variety of artists to area schools, she said. Steve Seskin helps students write music and has an anti-bullying message. Joel Frookin’s program “Unlocking Shakespeare” helps high school students relate the works of William Shakespeare to their lives. Besides entertainment and educational activities, the Honeywell Center also hosts annual meetings, art exhibits and other events.
