The Maker Space at SAMi High School

(D.K. constructs a Tesla coil)

The Tacoma Science and Math Institute (SAMi) is a young alternative high school located in Point Defiance Park.  We are part of the third largest school district in the state and serve a high poverty, urban population. 
 (student constructs an amplifier from a recycled alarm clock)

Students at SAMi need access to technology and creative outlets.  The current Maker Space at SAMi is filling that need for a small, but ever growing group of students.  The Maker Space is utilized by interdisciplinary science classes throughout the school year and after school by clubs.  The Maker Space currently receives minimal financial support and relies heavily on donations from committed teachers.  In order to continue to inspire more students and foster their creativity, we need to expand our operation. 

 (a hacked RC car that uses an Arduino, relays, and an ultrasonic sensor to find its way around the Maker Space)

With only a handful of cheap handheld tools, second hand power tools, and a hand-me-down, first generation 3D printer, students have been able to create wonderful projects.  Access to the materials has been used as a motivating tool to improve student performance in other classes.  With more materials, and more technology, this impact could be extended to all students, even those at surrounding schools. 

(Students hold an impromptu race between their robots) 

The items we would buy with the funds from this campaign are proven cornerstones of public maker spaces around the world.  The three primary investments will be for a…

1)      Laser Cutter (BOSS LS-1630 )

2)      CNC Router (ShopBot Desktop )

3)      Current 3D Printer (MakerBot Replicator 2 )

Remaining funds would be used to purchase a stock of consumables (filament for the 3D printer, plywood and acrylic sheets for the router and cutter).
 
These tools, and the knowledge to use them, will be a hook for many students who are otherwise uninterested in school.  The skills that students learn from using them will allow some graduates to move straight into apprenticeships and others to be more competitive in their college admissions. 


Thank you for your support of the SAMi Maker Space! 

 
Check out the webpage for one of the interdisciplinary classes that currently makes use of the SAMi Maker Space:

"MAKE: An Electronics Workshop ."


About the campaign organizer:
Johnny Devine is a Nationally Board Certified science teacher with a decade of experience.  Never content to constrain the learning process to the textbook or four walls of a room, Johnny has been recognized for his ability to get students actively engaged with their learning.  Last year he was awarded E3 Washington’s Green Apple Award  for his water quality monitoring partnership between students and the Surfrider Foundation.  Johnny believes that every student matters, and every second at school is important.  Learn more about him at his school website .

In addition to his work with the SAMi Maker Space, Johnny Devine is a co-advisor of student government, webmaster of the school website, co-department head of the science department, and a leader among the staff.  So far he has had the privilege to teach algebra and calculus; introductory and AP physics; introductory, field, and marine biology;  geology,  astronomy, and a host of interdisciplinary miniterms, like “The Physics of Rock Climbing.”