Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Makerspace topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Students showcase makerspace projects, urge modest equipment upgrades
Summary
Middle and high school students demonstrated Makerspace projects—ventilation for the mascot costume, a desk plug to stop items falling out, and digital videos—prompting board praise and a request for updated 3D printers and basic hardware tools.
Students from Berkshire Local’s Makerspace demonstrated projects Tuesday night, presenting a ventilation system for the school mascot, desk-plugs to stop classroom items from falling through, and short videos produced for the district’s Facebook page.
Mrs. Randall (S2), who introduced the presentation, said the Makerspace integrates K–12 instruction and supports teachers and independent student projects. "We've been doing a really, good job of incorporating the middle school, the high school, and the elementary school altogether in the Makerspace," she told the board.
MakerSpace instructor Mr. Castilla (S6) described the program’s engineering design process and its partnerships with teachers and Kent State. He said students start with a problem, prototype solutions and iterate: "The idea in the Makerspace is to enter with an idea and to leave with a product," he said.
Student Ben (S7), one of the presenters, described a recent project building a skeletal stand and an electric ventilation system for "Bert the Badger," the school mascot. "In 2026, I'll be leaving you guys, hopefully going to, kind of higher school. I'm thinking about CASE, and I'm gonna pursue a degree in mechanical engineering with a focus in aerospace," Ben said.
The makerspace team also showed a plug designed to stop belongings from falling out of classroom desks. Mr. Castilla said about 40 plugs were produced for teachers and that additional teacher orders are pending. He described other student work including 3D-printed figures, repurposed electronics, and student-made graphics.
Board members asked about needs for the program. Mr. Castilla said some equipment—particularly older 3D printers—is approaching end of life and that he is researching replacements: "Some of our equipment is getting close to end of life, particularly two 3D printers. I'm currently researching some state-of-the-art 3D framers that will take us another 10 years down the road," he said. Students and staff also requested more hand tools (drills, ratchets, wrenches).
The board thanked the students and accepted small tokens produced by the Makerspace. The presentation closed with members praising the students’ problem-based learning and cross-grade mentoring. The board did not take any formal fiscal action specifically tied to the Makerspace during the meeting; Mr. Castilla said he would follow up on equipment options.
The next procedural step noted for the program was staff review of equipment replacement options and potential funding sources; no purchases were approved at this meeting.
