As a STEM school, Oliver Springs High School values nourishing its students' creative sparks. One way we’re achieving that is through the FabLab, a room set on broadening students’ creativity and putting their imaginative sides to work.
Mrs. Vowell’s PBL (Problem-Based Learning) class is stationed in the FabLab. Lately, they’ve benefited from the various activities the FabLab offers, including sewing, 3D printing, and crafting designs, all of which value student vision. Recently, Mrs. Kitts’ Journalism class interviewed Mrs. Vowell to gauge the scope of the FabLab’s activities.
Mrs. Vowell believes the FabLab is incredibly beneficial to students, even commenting that she “would have loved it” when she was a student herself. When asked what skills she would most like for her students to acquire through the FabLab, she said, “Well, 3D-printing and [sewing]. We will eventually be able to use the CNC, which is getting set up now. We also want everyone to be able to use the brand-new laser-cutter, which is also being set up now. . . . We can do loads of things with that. We will be doing vinyl cutting, large poster printing, and silhouette.”
The FabLab is often a little bit chaotic, Mrs. Vowell said, as everyone works on something different. A few students have taken to working on designs for something known as the Dirty Room, while others work with the 3D printer and sewing machines. “Some go down to the historical society to work with Mr. Duncan,” Mrs. Vowell added.
“It's sort of free range,” she said in response to how she conducted activities. “We took the first couple of weeks to get used to everyone doing something different. . . . We [started out] with all of us learning 3D printing, then we broke out, [but] some are still 3D printing. And we’ve had instructors come in and do a little sewing teaching. . . . Now we're to the point where we can kind of free range, and everyone knows that they need to be working on something.”
Students aren’t only learning to navigate the FabLab. They are also putting those skills to use by making a positive impact, including sewing dog beds and pillows to donate to the animal shelter and Children’s Hospital respectively.
With work dedicated to charity, donations, and adding charm to the town of Oliver Springs, the FabLab—and the students that make it up—have an influence that is undeniable.