Baldwin-Whitehall School District

Over the course of the past year, we have united the efforts of our educational foundation, local business owners, parents, and even school board members to construct our first mobile Fab Lab. During this time, members of our transportation and facilities departments retrofitted a donated race car trailer to meet the needs of a functional lab space. Members of our technology department researched equipment and best practices related to existing mobile Fab Labs, while also raising funds in partnership with our educational foundation to support the purchase of these supplies. On May 8, 2018, we celebrated the completion of the project with a ribbon cutting ceremony where students, teachers, administrators, local officials, and members from the surrounding area schools joined us as we publicly recommitted to the maker movement and providing all children with the opportunities to dream, to design, and ultimately change the world.

Since then, we have taken the Fab Lab on the road to community events in Baldwin Borough to support its public library, Whitehall Borough to celebrate its 70th anniversary, and Elizabeth Forward School District to participate in the 2018 Pittsburgh FAB Institute. During the 2018-2019 school year, it is our hope that the Fab Lab will provide a place for students to create something from the early stages of design, ultimately, to fabrication. We are planning to bring in-depth digital fabrication to our elementary and middle school students in a way that we have not been able to do before. Using various machines, our students will be provided with opportunities to continue to be active participants in the maker movement that is defining their generation. It is our hope to deliver engaging lessons that use digital fabrication to integrate STEAM competencies into authentic making experiences for learners of all levels. Through formal and informal educational experiences, our students will have equitable access to transformative and inspiring learning experiences.