The technology addresses the students’ interests, said Heath. And those interests vary wildly.
“I had one young man who wanted to take articles of clothing, deconstruct them and make new things he designed,” said Heath. “Another student took an old fire extinguisher and turned it into a fridge to hold one Coke bottle. Another made a guitar from pieces cut out on our laser cutter. And this year, after making cornhole boards, I had students who made a ping pong table. One student made a wood charcuterie board. They could make a living at some of these crafts.”
Heath leads a maker’s space class that averages about 40 students. “They do have to apply, but I’ve never turned anyone away,” she said. “They want to be here for a reason and have something they’re interested in creating. And sometimes they just want to learn something new.”
That “new” skill might be…