The Licking Heights Middle School Robotics Club is at the forefront of innovation – and doing good for others.
The club, advised by technology teacher Grace Fisher and with help from special education assistant Logan Hamilton, is using the high school’s three-dimensional printer to create toys that can be donated to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Oncology Unit.
To date, the Robotics Club has sent 25 toys to Nationwide Children’s. They hope to ship a total of 75 toys by the end of the school year.
“The toy creation initiative is led and overseen by Logan, who has been instrumental in initiating and monitoring this journey,” Fisher said. “Logan has not only led the toy creation project with dedication, but has also been a tremendous asset to our robotics efforts. His contributions have greatly enriched our club’s activities.”
Hamilton said his favorite part of working with the Robotics Club is seeing how a thought becomes a physical project with the 3D printer.
“With 3D printing, the possibilities are literally endless. You can think of what you want for a project and make it a reality,” he said.
For Fisher, the real reward of advising the Robotics Club is seeing students discover a space where they can explore their interests and get excited about technology. She hopes that early exposure to technology will shape students’ future career paths.
“I want to spark students’ curiosity and encourage them to explore the avenues that technology offers,” Fisher said. “This experience serves as the foundation on which they can build and continue their technology pursuits, especially in high school.”
Eighth grade student Eli Roupe said he has always been interested in robotics, but only had the opportunity to really explore the field this year. His areas of interest include artificial intelligence, the use of robots for service work and modeling with Lego. He plans to work in the high school’s Fabrication Laboratory (Fab Lab) next year. Roupe was personally selected to present with Hamilton on the Robotics Club at the March meeting of the Licking Heights Board of Education.
“Learning and exploring in the Robotics Club was fun for me,” Roupe said. “My friends and I talk about what we can do with the 3D printer, and that’s so cool. My friends love the waffle fidget toys we make.”
Robotics Club is one of the ways Heights middle school students use the school’s Fab Lab, a hands-on space for STEM learning experiences. Licking Heights Middle School is currently pursuing STEAM designation through the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW).
Hamilton said club advisors have developed flowcharts that hang on the walls of the Fab Lab so students understand the steps involved in using the 3D printer. Students learn to use Tinkercad, a free online printing software.
The club also uses the 3D printer for several classroom and community projects, including creating a sedimentary rock layer instrument for science lessons, a miniature Roman Colosseum for social studies and gifts for the school board.
Information submitted by Licking Heights Local Schools.
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Licking Heights Robotics Club makes toys for cancer patients
