Mr. John Holmes Hilburn is Jackson Prep’s instructor for its first-ever woodworking class. A Jackson native and Prep alumnus, Hilburn studied Industrial Technology at Mississippi State University. He also runs a custom furniture company based out of Jackson named Homelite John’s.

Hilburn started to develop an interest in building at age 11 when he and his father put together a four-wheeler on their own. He also built a computer desk for his mother and a deer stand at an early age.

Woodworking operates unlike any other class at Prep. It does not have chairs for the class, because the class isn’t a sit-down learning experience. Hilburn emphasizes that woodworking is a “very hands-on and involved” type of learning, keeping safety at his highest priority.

Hilburn says that he is very impressed with all the improvements that Prep has made in the last few years. He likes how it has made upgrades in technology and buildings since he was in high school. He also appreciates the willingness of Prep to have new classes like woodworking.

Outside of Prep, John works at his custom furniture company, where he designs and sells around 30 beds each month. He likes to spend his free time as an outdoorsman.

His classes are currently working on two very interesting projects. One period is constructing a 8×8-foot checkerboard, while the other is building two 7-foot tall Adirondack Chairs. Hilburn says that he has many exciting plans in the works for his classes.