White Oaks Elementary School students created “Eye Jewels” to dress up eyeglasses or sunglasses and help build self-confidence.
Larkspur Middle School students designed “E-wrap” to keep your ear phones from getting tangled when stored.
Salem High School students created a variety of “Sun Pow” designs to personalize the solar-powered device chargers they pitched to judges.
And, Thoroughgood Elementary School students demonstrated how to hold their “Handy Helper” to assist with tasks ranging from opening soda cans to peeling oranges. “If you are older and have arthritis, it will be really helpful to you,” explained one of the Handy Helper creators.
These are only four products designed, created and promoted by student teams at the 2016 Maker Expo Feb. 18. The school division’s Office of Technical and Career Education hosted the event that challenged students to develop and design a product to be produced on a 3D printer.
In the pre-production phase of the Maker Expo, students worked after school using materials provided by Junior Achievement of Hampton Roads to produce a prototype that fit one of the following three themes: environmental, technology or wearables/fashion. Each team was also required to produce a product infomercial to be judged in advance of the Maker Expo event.
During the second phase of the Maker Expo, students used desktop 3D printers at the event to produce as many products as possible in one hour in addition to delivering a three-minute pitch to judges to explain and promote their creations.
Before their Maker Expo presentation, the Wire Clippies team from White Oaks Elementary School practiced in a corner. They demonstrated how their clips could hold together a wrapped USB chord, complete with a piece that allows users to attach the clip on their key chains or belt loops.
Were they nervous to see the judges?
The four-member team responded in unison with three “yeses” and one “no.”
“She has the hardest part,” said one student in defense of his teammate’s negative reply. “She has all the math.”
A second, more confident White Oaks team member said, “I practiced last night. Then I had a dream about it after I fell asleep.”
Their practice paid off with a fourth-place overall finish among elementary schools and a second-place award for product packaging.
Check out the complete list of winners below and see event photos on Facebook and the awards ceremony video on Periscope. The top three teams from each level advance to compete at the school division’s 2016 STEM Robotics, Maker and Cyber Security Challenge – also known as the STEM Trifecta – at the Virginia Beach Convention Center June 3.
Overall Winners – Elementary School Level
First place: Surf Troopers, Ocean Lakes
Second place: Wave Riders, Ocean Lakes
Third place: Team Charmers, Centerville
Fourth place: Wire Clippies, White Oaks
Overall Winners – Middle School Level
First place: Team to the 4th Power, Kemps Landing/Old Donation
Second place: Life Savers, Bayside
Third place: Team 3D Office, Kemps Landing/Old Donation
Fourth place: KCQ Team, Virginia Beach
Overall Winners – High School Level
First place: Team A, Green Run Collegiate
Second place: Femina Ingenia, Landstown
Third place: Somoto Co., Advanced Technology Center
Infomerical Winners – Elementary School Level
First place: Super Space 3D, Christopher Farms
Second place: 4gineers, Cooke
Third place: 3D Legends, Thoroughgood
Infomerical Winners – Middle School Level
First place: E-Z Pop, Corporate Landing
Second place: Team A, Great Neck
Third place: KCQ Team, Virginia Beach
Infomerical Winners – High School Level
First place: ChargIT, Ocean Lakes
Second place: Salem 3D Devils, Salem
Third place: Team Gold, Tallwood
Product Packaging Winners – Elementary School Level
First place: Sustain-A-Stuff, Kemps Landing/Old Donation
Second place: Wire Clippies, White Oaks
Third place: Helping Hands, Providence
Product Packaging Winners – Middle School Level
First place: E-Z Pop, Corporate Landing
Second place: Team B, Great Neck
Third place: KCQ Team, Virginia Beach
Product Packaging Winners – High School Level
First place: Salem 3D Devils, Salem
Second place: PS Senior Class, Technical and Career Education Center
Third place: ChargIT, Ocean Lakes