LOUISA COUNTY, Va. - Welcome to Louisa County Middle School's new "Creation Station." CTE Director and teacher Kenneth Bouwens said the state-of-the-art maker space was meant to provide the tools and tech for middle school students to take their learning to a whole new level.
"We want them to come in and get a once in a lifetime hands-on experience where they're taking what they're passionate about and applying it to their education," Bouwens said.
Kenneth Bouwens
School Board Superintendent Doug Straley said the investment needed to be made as soon as possible.
"The research says that in 2030 that 85% of the jobs that are going to be available for our students do not exist today," he said. "So how do we prepare our students for those jobs that do not exist?"
It starts by giving them virtual reality headsets, 3D printers, engineering software to use, and more.
Rising 7th grader Kelsey Lagon is using computers and math in the maker space to make middle school logos.
"You don't have to spend hours upon hours with humans doing every individual stitch, which I have done before and it's not very fun," sh said. "When you do this, it's just 15 minutes... and 'boom!'... a bobcat."
"Many of our new teachers have toured this facility over the last week. And they're fresh out of college. And they've said this space is nicer than any space they had in college”, Straley said.
Teachers believe the payoff will be the skills these kids will have when they do hit the job market in 2030 and beyond.
“It will help them to think critically, problem solve, get the job done, and have the grit to see something through from start to finish", Bouwens said.
Building this "Creation Station"... is Building Better Minds.
