Republic students show off creations made at RMS innovation wing

Five Republic Middle School students showed off items they created at the Republic Middle School’s innovation wing during the Republic School Board’s Student Spotlight portion of their meeting on Thursday, Aug. 15.
Miles Thomas, Andrew Badami, Jeffery Printz and Owen Gray showed the board toys they made for students with disabilities, while Curtis Fair showed off a uniform drying rack he made.
The toy Miles made was a ring toss, which he said would help children with Cerebral Palsy.
“Cerebral Palsy can affect muscle movement and muscle coordination,” he told the board. “I decided to make a ring toss. I thought it would help them by using those muscles and developing more muscular coordination.”
Miles made the base and pole of the ring toss out of wood, which he cushioned to reduce noise as to minimize classroom distraction. The rings were made using a 3-D printer.
Andrew Badami made a bowling game for physically disabled students. The game was made up of a ramp which he built out of PVC pipe, a ball he got from a dollar store, and pins which he made on the 3-D printer and then filled with rice so they wouldn’t make noise.
Jeffery Printz and Owen Gray made a skateboard which would allow students with disabilities to practice their balance, a condition they said is found in a wide range of disabilities.
They made it with traction pads to keep them from slipping and a ski rope which would allow another person to pull them along while they stood on the board.
“When you’re not good at balance, you don’t want to be pushing the board yourself,” Owen said.
According to information found on the board’s agenda, the toys made by the students were quality tested and then used by the students in the functional skills special education classroom.
Todd Wojciechowski, board president, said the toys looked like something which would have been made at the high-school level. He praised the boys not only for the level of craftsmanship they demonstrated, but also the fun they provided for the students who got to use the toys.
“I think it’s cool that you guys … are hands-on learning,” he said, “but at the same time, it sounds like you understand, and I want to reiterate the impact you made on those kids that you helped, and how pleased you made them. They wouldn’t have had this stuff otherwise, and I’m sure it provided them with a fantastic opportunity to use some new toys, so it’s really a win-win.”
Allison Dishman, middle school principal, said the boys were learning character while also learning practical skills. She credited their instructor, Rochelle Shumaker with incorporating these values into their learning.
“Not only are they building things to help themselves, but also others,” Dishman said. “The things that Mrs. Shumaker has developed in her classroom, again, (are) just thinking outside themselves, serving (and) leading.”
Superintendent Chance Wistrom told the boys he was proud of them for their “innovation, creativity and (for) working together.” Like Dishman, he also praised Shumaker for her instruction.
“She brings her passion to the classroom and makes you want to jump in and create and innovate and explore and problem solve,” he said.
After the first four boys spoke about their creations, Curtis Fair told the board about a drying rack for a uniform he built out of PVC pipe. He stated he needed one for his hockey uniform, because it was always wet after practice or a game.
“My gear’s always soaked after each game, and I decided to do something about it,” he said. “I looked up how much a normal drying rack would cost, and it cost up to $300, probably one of the cheapest ones, so I decided to make one myself. I went on Tinkercad, and used the 3-D software to pretty much build how I (wanted) it.”
Curtis explained that he built the rack with help from his uncle; they put it together in about four hours at a cost of $65. He also put a computer fan in the base of the rack, explaining the fan blows air to vents which then dry his gear as it hangs on the rack.
Dishman pointed out that the Curtis can assemble and disassemble the rack for portability, so he could take it with him if he had to travel for a hockey game. She also said his project demonstrated a real-world learning application.
“One reason we decided to have him present is, things he learned in that class, he is immediately taking outside of that class,” she said.
Near the end of the Student Spotlight, one of the board members jokingly asked Andrew if the bowling game could improve his bowling average.
“It depends if you use the (pins) at the bowling alley,” Andrew replied, provoking laughter from the board and the audience.