By: Mahalia Battle & Laura Chupp
Have you ever had an idea but can’t make it happen because you don’t have the supplies? Then the design lab club is the perfect place for you! With supplies from a 3D printer to Velcros, you can make all sorts of things! It begins right after school and it ends at 3:30, which comes so fast!
The Design Lab is based on something called “Project-Based Learning.” It's something of educational value where students are involved in designing things, developing, and constructing hands-on solutions to a problem. Did you know that creativity is practically necessary? Scientific information proves that creativity does what not even knowledge can: it actually makes you live longer. Yes kids, by letting creativity flow, you can live longer. That is where the design lab club comes in. It’s a space where you can let your creativity come and basically have a better life. Creativity can also make you less stressed. Who wouldn’t be when you get to be creative?
Tatum Robertson, a 6th grade student at EJHS, says, "Design Lab Club is really fun. I love 3D printing, using the cardboard cutters, and just tinkering around." So when is design lab club? It meets every Thursday from 2:30-3:30 in the design lab. Pickup is at door 14, right outside the design lab.
There are a multitude of things you can do in the Design Lab. Some examples include making stickers out of vinyl using Roland, and 3D printing things using TinkerCAD. You can even engrave designs onto different surfaces by creating what you want on a canvas using Inkscape. There's also a messier side of the room, where you can use water bottles, cardboard, hot glue, and different things to use for your use and creativity. Some examples of the tools available in the design lab for you to use are trophy pieces, miter saw, impact driver, paint, and more. However, some of these you need to be certified in to use. Certification is where you take a test on a specific tool and get verification from your parents to use (for some.) If you are taking a certification for software, you have to take a test and based on how well you do on the test, you will be allowed to use that software to create things.
Overall, the design lab club is a good place to be. "Design Lab Club is a space that allows students to pursue their own making ideas and projects. I love that it lets students learn and create designs that are personally meaningful, while still collaborating with others," says Mrs. Scott, the teacher in the design lab. With lots of things to do, you can make almost anything you want. Try coming to the next design lab club meeting and let your creativity flow! It meets every Thursday unless it has to be skipped/canceled.