Sparhawk School wins 3D carver in contest

AMESBURY — Sparhawk School, a private preK-12th-grade school, has won Inventables 50 States 3D Carver Contest for the state of Massachusetts. 

After three rounds and several months of competition, including lesson plan and video submission, Sparhawk School was chosen as the 2016 Massachusetts winner of a state of the art 3D Carver.

Inventables, a Chicago based digital invention company, wants to see a 3D Carver in every school in the USA. To kick-start their project they created the Inventables 50 States 3D Carver Contest. 

The contest was aimed at identifying schools committed to creating more opportunities for their students to design, prototype and build their ideas and prepare themselves for careers in advanced manufacturing, industrial design and engineering. One winner was chosen per state, with submissions coming in from K-12, high schools, community colleges and universities.

Jennifer Esty, a science and engineering teacher at Sparhawk High School, spearheaded the submission and lesson plan process. 

She was assisted by Joanna Tomah, Sparhawk’s digital media arts teacher, and Norah Tinti, one of Sparhawk’s humanities teachers. 

Esty worked with Sparhawk students to create a storyboard and video to be submitted for the third and final round of the contest. 

In speaking to what the carver would mean for the school, Esty said, “The 3D carver will allow our students limitless possibilities to create precise three dimensional creations synthesizing their knowledge of mathematics, technology and the arts.” 

3D carving machines, historically known as computer numerically controlled (CNC) milling machines, are making it easier, faster and more efficient for individuals to digitally fabricate designs using a variety of materials, from foam and wood to acrylic, and even metal.

Sparhawk School will house the new 3D Carver in the new Maker Space they built at their Upper School Campus. 

Yvonne Domings, Sparhawk Upper School director, said, “Our Maker Space is all about encouraging our students to take initiative to build, create, discover, design and prototype their ideas. Some ideas will fail, and some will succeed, but the process will help hone their critical and creative thinking skills which are essential for 21st century minds.”