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Mrs. Spradlin’s Classroom Edit display name

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A difficult challenge our school community faces is the loss of our sense of safety and security. The 2007 Virginia Tech tragedy happened just a few miles away, and many of our faculty members relive those emotions with every new school shooting. Our school is fortunate to work closely with local law enforcement to keep our students as safe as possible. Sadly, the extensive safety measures are beginning to negatively impact our learning environment. KES will have to discontinue using our outdoor classroom due to safety concerns, because it’s in an area overgrown with bushes and trees, making it possible for someone to hide and potentially do something unthinkable. This project will allow us to engineer a better outdoor classroom and solve the problem of providing an engaging alternative learning environment that doesn’t compromise safety. Having the Silhouette Cameo 3 cutter to integrate with the Fab@School Maker Studio would allow the students to see their design as a real 3D prototype. Pre-engineering students from Blacksburg High will help students from Kipps Elementary design a safer outdoor classroom. Using Fab@SchoolMakerStudio software and a craft printer, students will design, print, and test foldable 3D paper models as part of an authentic, iterative design process. The software is very kid-friendly, and printing foldable paper is less expensive and more environmentally friendly than 3D printing with plastic. Our school resource officers will evaluate the security of our design, and our Facilities Department will ensure that it meets fire code and ADA requirements. This project will serve as a model for future STEM collaborations between our schools and could end up serving hundreds of students in the future.

About my class

A difficult challenge our school community faces is the loss of our sense of safety and security. The 2007 Virginia Tech tragedy happened just a few miles away, and many of our faculty members relive those emotions with every new school shooting. Our school is fortunate to work closely with local law enforcement to keep our students as safe as possible. Sadly, the extensive safety measures are beginning to negatively impact our learning environment. KES will have to discontinue using our outdoor classroom due to safety concerns, because it’s in an area overgrown with bushes and trees, making it possible for someone to hide and potentially do something unthinkable. This project will allow us to engineer a better outdoor classroom and solve the problem of providing an engaging alternative learning environment that doesn’t compromise safety. Having the Silhouette Cameo 3 cutter to integrate with the Fab@School Maker Studio would allow the students to see their design as a real 3D prototype. Pre-engineering students from Blacksburg High will help students from Kipps Elementary design a safer outdoor classroom. Using Fab@SchoolMakerStudio software and a craft printer, students will design, print, and test foldable 3D paper models as part of an authentic, iterative design process. The software is very kid-friendly, and printing foldable paper is less expensive and more environmentally friendly than 3D printing with plastic. Our school resource officers will evaluate the security of our design, and our Facilities Department will ensure that it meets fire code and ADA requirements. This project will serve as a model for future STEM collaborations between our schools and could end up serving hundreds of students in the future.

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