Avon Grove students present makerspace redesign after 57-entry design contest

Four students from Avon Grove High School updated the school board on a student-led plan to expand and reconfigure the high school makerspace, describing a 14-month effort that produced 57 design submissions and seven prize winners.

The students — Dylan, Arnav, Mia and Sam — said they formed a design contest open to students, staff, middle-schoolers and alumni to gather ideas for the currently underused space. "We are the chief science officers," the students told the board, adding that the project aimed to make the makerspace usable by multiple classes and clubs, including adding hydroponics to support the FFA club.

The presentation said organizers received 57 designs; seven students won prize money ranging from $50 to $250. The students also said they secured at least one grant of about $1,000 to support the effort and that prize money was restricted to high school students (staff and alumni were not eligible). "Majority of the designs were from high schoolers, and money was only sanctioned to go to high schoolers," a student said when asked about contest demographics.

The students described outreach tactics that included email to teachers and alumni and an advertisement distributed on the school's morning announcements. They said a summer review panel of teachers and students — and a guest from the Kennet Library makerspace — judged entries and awarded the prizes. The group is now refining equipment and aesthetic plans; examples mentioned include laser cutters, 3-D printers and soldering stations so projects can be completed without moving between classrooms.

Board members praised the students' work. Herman Engle, chair of the education committee, called the presentation "great" and said the makerspace is expanding beyond STEM into cross-disciplinary uses. William Wood, a member of the board, said, "You guys sound like you got it together," and asked whether the board should thank the donors; a presenter confirmed grant funding and said two grants were written, one for about $1,000.

Students said planning continues: they are meeting with furniture and equipment vendors, considering vinyl displays and other aesthetic elements, and expect to have additional design work in early February. They told the board the group meets about every other week currently, with intermittent meetings over the prior 14 months.

The presentation closed with board members praising the students' poise and the administration thanking the students for the update. No formal board action was taken on the makerspace during the meeting.

The presentation was introduced during the agenda presentation item and ran into a brief audio hiccup when an advertisement clip failed to play, which the student presenters noted and then continued the session.