Herriman shop class builds a 'We the People' rocking chair for Justice Sotomayor

A shop class at a Herriman high school is building a rocking chair for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, KSL NewsRadio reported. The chair will carry the phrase "We the People" and be built from white oak and maple, and the class aims to finish it by Thanksgiving and ship it to Washington, D.C. 1.

The project grew out of the justice's September visit to Jordan School District. Shop teacher Steven Tanner built a patriotic rocking chair with "We the People" carved into the top about two years ago, and during the visit the chair was placed in Sotomayor's green room 1. Tanner told KSL that she commented on how much she liked it. "I was almost embarrassed that that was the one she really, really liked," he said. "So I offered to build her a really quality chair." 1

Tanner and his students are building a new version of the chair from scratch 1. "We're going to use a combination of white oak and maple," he said. "I want a chair that's not going to have a problem, ever. I want grandchildren to be able to use this chair, and that's the quality I'm going for." 1

KSL reported, citing the Jordan School District, that Sotomayor plans to place the chair outside her chambers, where members of the public will be able to see it and sit in it 1.

Tanner described the opportunity as both humbling and exciting, and said it was not something he expected when he started teaching woodworking. "I would have never dreamt of having an opportunity that somebody from Washington would see any of my products," he said. "To have my students be able to build parts of it ... it's an honor. It's an overwhelming honor." 1

The district said the justice met students, teachers and staff, spoke at an assembly and a fireside chat, took questions chosen from students and staff, and visited classrooms 2. KSL reported that the visit was a surprise and that it followed a student video invitation sent more than a year earlier 3.

At its Sept. 22 meeting, the Jordan Board of Education recorded its own thanks: Superintendent Anthony Godfrey expressed appreciation to the justice and her staff for the visit and thanked those who worked to make it a success 4. The district's account of the visit did not mention the rocking chair project, and it did not name the students who took part 2.

The Ledger withholds identifying detail about the students in this story, in line with its standing practice on minors. This paper reported after the visit that the district's account did not name the schools the justice visited 5.