Belmont Middle School Invests in Makerspace

(Back row, far left and right) Karen Gingrich, teacher, and Rick Wyman, president of Meredith Village Savings Bank, with student participants at the Belmont Middle School Makerspace open house.
 

Belmont Middle School has opened a new Makerspace designed for students, teachers and mentors to meet, create, invent and learn. This was made possible by the $6,000 grant the school received from the Meredith Village Savings Bank fund in 2017. The Makerspace offers 3D printers, a 3D scanner, software programs, electronic kits, craft materials and sewing machines that help students keep pace with the growing need for technical knowledge.
 
Rick Wyman, president of Meredith Village Savings Bank (MVSB), recently visited the school’s Makerspace open house in January, where students were eager to demonstrate current and completed projects while giving tours of the dedicated area. “It’s our honor and privilege to invest in the students of Belmont Middle School,” says Wyman. “The Makerspace combines manufacturing equipment, community and education for the purpose of enabling the Belmont school district to design, prototype and create manufactured works that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. This ensures everyone has equal access to design, engineering, fabrication and education.”
 
The Belmont Middle School Makerspace is managed by middle school teachers, Karen Gingrich and Joe Wernig. “We’re now better able to provide engaging activities and materials that excite our students," Gingrich says. "The Makerspace gives them the opportunity to extend their education by making it personal.”
 
“Students are able to work on projects that interest them,” adds Wernig. “They participate in ‘how-to’ sessions, then spend their scheduled time working on independent projects. Thanks to the generous support of MVSB, we’re able to offer materials that speak to all types of preferences from engineering to innovation to art.”
 
The Makerspace is located in a dedicated area within the school’s STEM room, where students have access during scheduled in-school and after-school sessions. Students also took part in painting the room, investing their time in creating a workspace that suits them best. “It’s really wonderful to see the spark of curiosity get ignited in these students,” says Wernig.