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by Katie Worthington  On Monday, January 9, All Saints Academy unveiled their brand new Maker Space, a part of their NuVu Innovation Studio. The renovated building on their Winter Haven Winter Lake Road campus was named in honor of their current Head of School, Carolyn Baldwin, who has been a tireless cheerleader for the NuVu innovation studio and integrating collaboration, innovation, tech and media literacy, presentation and problem solving skills as requirements to an All Saints education. All Saints Academy partners with NuVu Academy, a Cambridge, Massachusetts innovation school to offer required courses called "Innovation Studio." Through this course the faculty and industry advisors coach the high schools students in the collaborative design of iterative solutions to complex, socially conscious challenges. Throughout the course the students are required to develop a prototype of their solutions and designs. During the project the students document the evolution of their design and problem solving in an electronic portfolio which can become a part of their college resume. Having attended the Innovation Studio exhibition this year, I can say that it is impressive. These students are addressing real world problems. One student created a prototype of a device that would mimic spasms felt by individiuals with Cerebral Palsy so that their family could empathize with their medical condition. Another student team created a backpack with a water filtration system built in to make it easier for woman in 3rd world countries to carry water efficiently back from the well while also holding other items. In the world of tech, one student created a motion activated light that when activated plays the Star Wars theme with a corresponding light show. This came out of researching urban art displays. If you have a chance to go to this event in the spring, I highly recommend checking out what the kids have developed. With all of this innovation, the school identified a need to develop a workshop space to innovate, collaborate, problem solve and create. In partnership with their Board of Trustees, Loretta Sanders as their project manager, chamber member Tucker Construction, and the NuVu Innocation Studio team, they transformed the former locker and arts building into a "maker space". This space includes a bank of desktop 3D printers, Mac computers to design the prototypes using Computer Aided Design (CAD) software, and a laser cutting machine for cutting or etching numerous materials such as wood, plexiglass, cardboard etc. The space also includes a student lounge area for team collaboration in addtion to the studio workspace and materials.
1 Comment
ROBERT SOBB
2/12/2019 10:23:45 am
I belong to a maker space an Inventor group in Jackson Michigan. I would like to see your facility some time especially the laser. We are snow birds with a place in winter haven. Thanks Bob Sobb Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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