Bullard, FCPS and Lexington Fire Department partner with students to 3D‑print fidgets for outreach

Fayette County Public Schools presented a community partnership spotlight on Sept. 22 showcasing a STEM collaboration with Bullard, the Lexington Fire Department and students from four schools to design and 3D‑printed fidgets used for outreach in emergency situations.

Michael Adams, program manager for external partnerships, introduced the project and said Bullard engineers volunteered time to coach students and donated filament to print the roughly 1,000 fidgets ordered by the Lexington Fire Department. Adams said the donation “cost the district nothing.”

Wells Bullard, president and CEO of Bullard, said the company — founded in 1898 and with manufacturing in Cynthiana and an office in Lexington — viewed the partnership as part of its mission to “protect the people who protect our communities.” He described the project as a real‑world engineering problem for students.

Tegan Avery, an FCPS graduate who now works in product development engineering at Bullard, told the board it was “an incredible honor” to coach students and cited her own FCPS pathway from elementary school to Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.

Lexington Fire Department Captain Steve Lewis said the fidgets will be carried on apparatus and be available at community events to help children “take their minds other places in a more positive direction.”

Students from STEAM programs at Bryan Station, Leestown Middle School, RISE STEM Academy for Girls and George Washington Carver STEM Academy for Boys described hands‑on learning in CAD and 3D printing. Student Luke Lippert said the project “helped me fulfill the FCPS promise of civically engaged” by designing for people who have experienced trauma. Student Marjorie Newman said she added words such as “calm” and “breathe” to her model so it would help children regulate.

The partnership included classroom teacher leads and FCPS instructional technology staff who supported the printing and training. A community kickoff tied to National Fire Prevention Month is scheduled for Oct. 5 at Masterson Station Park from 2–6 p.m., where the Lexington Fire Department plans a public distribution and demonstration.

Why it matters: The project connected industry expertise, emergency responders and K‑12 instruction, giving students applied engineering experience and delivering a tangible tool for first responders to use when serving children in stressful situations.

Quotes

“Engineering is problem solving...it allows us to listen to our customers, see what problems they might have, and then turn plastic pellets into life saving, personal protective equipment,” Wells Bullard said.

“Experiences, like working with the American Spiritual Ensemble, help us expand outside of the norm of what we would normally do and just really grow as singers,” David Fonda, FCPS fine arts instructional specialist, said during the earlier arts presentation that evening.

Student Bailey Barrett: “I have learned how to collaborate with others and kind of group together with the community to create a common goal.”

Ending: FCPS staff said the district’s creative media team recorded the full project and will share a video of the student engineering process; Bullard and FCPS said they hope this is the first of similar community partnerships.