Red Bank High School
9-12
At Red Bank High, we're about two things: having more fun and getting more people involved.
Imagine identifying something you want to do. Now imagine having the tools, materials and community members at hand, in a designated space and culture, that can help bridge the gap that often exists between classroom theory and real-world practice. Come to think of it, maybe we're the trolls under that bridge.
Lab description
Grade Levels:
VW eLab Specialist
Matthew Craig
I like to do cool things with fun people, so I'm always looking for ways to make that happen. My wife says, "What, did you see a sign-up sheet and say, 'Ooh! I can sign my name here!'?" That's how I got here, like most things... I sign up and then show up. Do that for 30 years in an educational setting, and you wind up having worked on some interesting projects with people who like to help.
Impact
The VW eLab helps students discover talents, explore career possibilities, and see how their skills can make a difference beyond school. Through hands-on work, students find new ways to connect their interests with something they can create.
For one incredible student, that has meant making prosthetics and building worlds for films, bringing ideas to life through design and fabrication. For other students, discovering an interest and aptitude for hands-on work has opened their eyes to careers in the trades.
Those connections continue after graduation. Alumni return to the VW eLab for help creating decals and apparel for their businesses, drawing on a place they know as a resource for turning ideas into reality. These experiences show how the lab’s impact extends beyond individual projects, helping students recognize their abilities and imagine where those abilities might take them.
Project Highlights
Take a look at our website, especially the Gallery area, or the FabLab Stories Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pCgMPMB9QINrVQZOFnVuRHyTrGnwqCiRApHcqJ50B84/edit?usp=sharing
