Making a Makerspace at Mercer Elementary
The Challenge
Something was missing at Mercer Elementary. The school was lacking a space for real-world innovation – a space where students could tinker with cutting-edge technology and collaborate on projects. “We wanted to build a space to have kids think differently,” Darcy Bien, the school’s PTA project lead, said.
The plan, officials decided, was to transform the existing media center into a state-of-the-art makerspace. But it was going to be tough. The space “…did not allow for the level of flexibility and collaboration that is required for students in the 21st century,” Guy Frye, Mercer’s Media Specialist said.
Plus, it lacked proper storage, easy-to-move furniture and workspace suitable for big, sometimes messy projects.
