HHS has many opportunities for students regardless of their interest. The Governor’s STEM Academy, which has been running for 5 years, offers a unique pathway for students interested in both math and engineering. For those interested in the arts, the Fine Arts Academy offers a curriculum which focuses on things that they want to learn more. The one thing that we fail to offer as a school are holistic technology oriented classes. As a member of the STEM academy, I have certainly taken a number of engineering classes, but they mostly cover engineering thought processes. This is a very important thing to learn, but I feel that it would go hand in hand with build classes which focus on the technology aspect of engineering.

I think classes such as computer design should be paired with an engineering and a shop class. This way you would have the opportunity to see your designs all the way through. An engineering class should be required as a prerequisite. What I have noticed is that in a computer aided design class, after the basics are mastered of drawing shapes and models, many students do not have the experience to actually design devices to solve problems, and in engineering classes, students do not have the drawing skills necessary to design and fabricate anything but the most basic devices. In addition to creating a system where relevant classes are paired together, more equipment will be needed.

I feel that the biggest obstacle to such a program would be money for such equipment. In addition, we would need staff members who are trained and certified to use complicated machinery. We would need a mill and a CNC (computer numerically controlled) cutter for starters, which both cost tremendous amounts of money. The benefit, though, would be that students would now have actual experience of conceiving, designing and fabricating a custom solution to a problem that they identify. Usually this does not happen until college.

I am a strong supporter of the individual technology-related classes at HHS, but there is a greater benefit in technology classes which are more holistic in their approach. Much of the class infrastructure is already in place, but it would be much better with a little more equipment and some organization. The upfront cost would admittedly be an obstacle, but in the long run,the benefits will be greater.