Peabody High School today unveiled “The Hook” Maker Lab, a first-of-its-kind makerspace for high school learners dedicated to fostering student interest in invention, innovation, engineering, and manufacturing. A ribbon cutting ceremony for “The Hook” was held as part of Trenton Special School District’s (TSSD) unveiling celebration.
Makerspaces bring together high-tech equipment, community and education for the purpose of enabling young individuals to design, prototype and create innovative works. They represent a new phenomenon being adopted by today’s engineering and manufacturing leaders around the world.
“Tennessee has a strong commitment to offering robust STEM opportunities for our students, and Trenton SSD has a great deal to be proud of with their new makerspace opening. The demonstrated effort to facilitate meaningful career-based exposure, hands-on activities, and enhanced academic offerings will lead their students towards greater readiness, and we are excited to continue supporting such exemplary work alongside key partners like the TSIN.” said Education Commissioner, Dr. Penny Schwinn.
Peabody High School students and staff collaborated to conceptualize and design “The Hook” Maker Lab. The main activity in the makerspace will allow students to design, make and build solutions for authentic, work-based challenges utilizing the same technologies found in today’s engineering and manufacturing facilities, including:
3-D printer: Controlled by the latest in engineering design software, the 3-D printers enable students to transform their designs quickly and easily into real prototypes before their eyes. Similar industrial printers can now create in metals and ceramics, making the future of designing parts easier than ever before.
Laser cutter: A laser cutter can slice precise and intricate details through just about any material. Architects use it to speed up model-making, fashion designers cut patterns on clothes and industrial designers now leverage it for intricate part creation.
Esports arena: Strategic thinkers help in the workplace as much of business success relies on solid strategies to adapt to the challenges of a changing industry landscape. These planning, adaptability, and experimentation skills are honed over time and contribute to any work environment when handling crisis situations, challenges, and conflicts, giving competitive gamers the ability to find creative solutions with limited resources.
Folding glass wall system and collaborative workspaces: Learners can dream up and sketch ideas before beginning the design and prototyping process.
Audio/visual learning aids: Throughout the makerspace, learners can watch videos, see graphics, and read other educational materials that explore what’s happening now and what’s changing the future of STEM around the world.
As part of dedication celebration, Tim Haney, Director of Schools, explained how this concept came to be. "STEM education offers the opportunity to show students how the individual courses we traditionally teach in isolation actually intersect with each other. And can lead to careers in fields that hold great interest to students - areas like sports, music, and gaming. TSSD has made a conscious, intentional decision to help students make connections between core subjects and find an interest to pursue which can lead to a fulfilling post-secondary career."
“We have students and teachers that do amazing things. Our leadership wanted to give them a space without limitations. If there is a large project to be done, they now have the space to do it. If there is a prototype to be built, they now have the materials and tools to build it. This is the future of learning, and we are just getting started.” said Ben Di’Chiara, STEM Coordinator for Peabody High School.
This newly unveiled makerspace offers a unique learning environment for students through dynamic, integrated learning experiences, community partnerships and the commitment of the amazing TSSD staff, students, and families. TSIN is thrilled to share the process and impact of “The Hook” Maker Lab with schools and districts across the state. These efforts are replicable and powerful for local educational communities.
