THE WOODLANDS THE WOODLANDS
C H R I S T I AACADEMY N CHRISTIAN A C A D E M Y JANUARY 29, 2016
STEM Funds In Action! Our annual Warrior Fund this year featured an option for donors to contribute to specific areas of need at Woodlands Christian. One of those areas was STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) materials for our classrooms. Once all funds were accounted for, orders for materials were placed and now those materials are being delivered and put to good use in classrooms all over campus. One of the more exciting additions is the purchase of three 3-D printers. These printers will be used in lower and upper school art classes, in high school computer classes, and middle school science. The printers have been installed in the art and computer classrooms and the middle school printer will be installed in the very near future. Faculty members can’t wait to unlock the potential use of the printers with their students. Students will be able to use a specialized 3-D application on their computers to work collaboratively to design objects. “The joy will be seeing the collaboration results at the end of the project,” said art teacher Mrs. Susan Peterson. “I can get students thinking in
3-D in another medium, almost like architecture. They will be able to look at an object from all sides which will lead to more creative problem solving skills.” Mrs. Peterson plans to use the 3-D printer and appropriate software with students in 3rd-5th grade. In high school, computer teacher Wouter Westerduin is, in his words, “super excited” to have this tool. “The possibilities are endless. Students will now be able to learn to think in another dimension. They are fascinated by the printer and are anxious to begin working with it.” The 3-D printer will give students the opportunity to combine their computer skills with chemistry for example, by creating molecular models or physics by creating a bridge that can hold a pre-determined amount of weight. Should the need arise, students in Mr. Westerduin’s robotics class will even be able to produce replacement parts for their robots. As you will see in the articles that follow, recently purchased STEM materials are in use all across campus. The future is NOW thanks to your generous contributions to our Warrior Fund!
Items produced with 3-D printer located in the art classroom.
3-D printer in high school computer classroom, filament used in the printer and figures produced using the printer.
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