Make it Bigger!
Donation protected
Hi! We are a small PK-8 public school in rural Maine with some really big ideas we need your help with.
Over the past couple years we have been developing a really innovative approach to technology education, shifting from screen-intensive activities to more physical, hands-on projects. In our Idea Center, we give our students the tools, materials, and training to turn their "maker creativity" into reality. By providing students with access to advanced tools like 3D printers, laser cutters, and soldering irons our aim is to give a different perspective on how technology--both new and old--can be leveraged for learning.
In our program, students first learn the fundamentals of 2D vector design, which serves as the foundation for most of the skills taught in the Idea Center. Once students have learned how to design in vector format, they learn how to export their designs to the various fabrication machines such as the vinyl cutter, laser cutter, or desktop milling machine using a wide variety of materials including wood, paper/cardboard, leather, textiles, vinyl, foam, and a wide variety of plastics ranging from acrylic to acetal to HDPE and more. Once the students move on to 3D design, more materials become available such as porcelain, silicone, and plastic composites.
We are in the final fundraising phase of our current capital improvement--the addition of a large-scale CNC machine--and need a little extra help getting across the finish line. With this new machine, we will be giving our students the ability to "make it bigger" and take their ideas to the larger-than-life-size level.
The excitement does not stop there, as we are working to open our facility to the local high school and to the community at-large so that everyone has the opportunity to come in and quickly learn how to digitally fabricate their ideas. Starting this fall, GSA will start teaching an Idea elective in the lab! We are thrilled to be working with GSA to extend these great opportunities to more students of the Blue Hill Peninsula!
We also plan to open the lab to the community this fall, probably a few hours 1-2 times a week at first, but if it takes off then we’re ready to take off with it!
Our total goal is $25,000 by June 15, and at this moment we are about $5,000 shy of meeting that goal! Any help is immensely appreciated! The funds will be used to purchase a 4' x 8' ShopBot CNC with associated accessories and starter materials. Ongoing maintenance and support will be rolled-into our regular school operating budget, but we rely on the generosity of donors like you to help us fund the initial cost!
Thank you!
Over the past couple years we have been developing a really innovative approach to technology education, shifting from screen-intensive activities to more physical, hands-on projects. In our Idea Center, we give our students the tools, materials, and training to turn their "maker creativity" into reality. By providing students with access to advanced tools like 3D printers, laser cutters, and soldering irons our aim is to give a different perspective on how technology--both new and old--can be leveraged for learning.
In our program, students first learn the fundamentals of 2D vector design, which serves as the foundation for most of the skills taught in the Idea Center. Once students have learned how to design in vector format, they learn how to export their designs to the various fabrication machines such as the vinyl cutter, laser cutter, or desktop milling machine using a wide variety of materials including wood, paper/cardboard, leather, textiles, vinyl, foam, and a wide variety of plastics ranging from acrylic to acetal to HDPE and more. Once the students move on to 3D design, more materials become available such as porcelain, silicone, and plastic composites.
We are in the final fundraising phase of our current capital improvement--the addition of a large-scale CNC machine--and need a little extra help getting across the finish line. With this new machine, we will be giving our students the ability to "make it bigger" and take their ideas to the larger-than-life-size level.
The excitement does not stop there, as we are working to open our facility to the local high school and to the community at-large so that everyone has the opportunity to come in and quickly learn how to digitally fabricate their ideas. Starting this fall, GSA will start teaching an Idea elective in the lab! We are thrilled to be working with GSA to extend these great opportunities to more students of the Blue Hill Peninsula!
We also plan to open the lab to the community this fall, probably a few hours 1-2 times a week at first, but if it takes off then we’re ready to take off with it!
Our total goal is $25,000 by June 15, and at this moment we are about $5,000 shy of meeting that goal! Any help is immensely appreciated! The funds will be used to purchase a 4' x 8' ShopBot CNC with associated accessories and starter materials. Ongoing maintenance and support will be rolled-into our regular school operating budget, but we rely on the generosity of donors like you to help us fund the initial cost!
Thank you!
Organizer
Matt Jurick
Organizer
Blue Hill, ME
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