LEAP Academy University Charter School in Camden will rename its fabrication lab the Vernon and Shirley Hill Fab Lab at LEAP Academy in recognition of the couple’s $350,000 gift to the school.
A formal announcement will be made Monday morning at the school, the oldest charter school in the state — and one of the largest.
The gift will help the lab continue to serve as a place where students learn by doing.
The Fab Lab, as students refer to it, provides students from low-income backgrounds with an entry point into solid, rewarding technology careers. The Fab Lab is an in-school makerspace that includes 3D printers, robotics tools and other high-tech equipment.
Experiential learning is the Fab Lab’s focus. LEAP students learn through trial and error. Rather than provide specific direction, instructors encourage the student to forge their own solution,…