In the past month, Maker VISTA member Khalil Pettway supported in coordinating and documenting two STEAM Career Days at Drew Charter School, one for the Junior and Senior Academy on October 27th, and one for the Elementary Academy on November 3rd. The goal of these STEAM Career Days is to expose Pre-K–12 students to the […]

Recently, Maker VISTA members Lyna Abal and Carey Habiger have heard more and more of these questions from San Fernando Middle School makers: How can we reserve a spot at the makerspace? (teachers) When are we coming back?! (students) Encouraged by these inquiries and ever-active, Lyna prioritized shining brighter light on the SFMS makerspace and […]

Mentorship and near-peer facilitation is a significant component of the making program at CSUSM STEM Center. Maker VISTA member Alivn Hiedo trains, coaches and supports undergraduate student STEM Ambassadors and Community Service Learning (CSL) volunteers in their work with local middle school students at high-need schools. As both a tracking/documentation tool and a forum for […]

Within a week of coordinating and supporting Salmon Public Library‘s first ever professional development workshop, participating educators began reaching out to Maker VISTA members Francesca Bessey and Jesse Hunt to collaborate on maker activities at their sites. These collaborations made October a whirlwind of school visits, project planning, outreach emails and debriefs. The surge in […]

Last month at ReCreate saw the closing out of one Maker VISTA member’s service, and the transitioning of her projects to a newer Maker VISTA member. The transition process raised some important questions and ideas around sustainability, documentation, and program growth. As Maker VISTA member Shubha prepared to conclude her service term, her year-long documentation materials were invaluable not […]

Over the last month at Grass Valley Elementary in Oakland, CA, Maker VISTA members Ignacia and Dylan have started facilitating students’ individual project work, and have started to implement a system so that all of the participating students can schedule specific time to work in the school’s makerspace, the Wonder Workshop. Some of the projects […]

Fall has already been super busy for Maker VISTA members Blair McAvoy and Brandon Jackson at Computers4Kids (C4K) in Charlottesville, VA. After spearheading a major (and impressive!) overhaul of the clubhouse’s organizational system for tools and materials over the summer, Blair spent much of September and early October shifting gears from workspace to showcase, designing […]

Maker VISTA members Ignacia Ojeda and Dylan Campbell kicked off the new school year at Grass Valley Elementary in Oakland, CA by organizing a making event during back to school night. Hosted in the school’s makerspace, The Wonder Workshop, the event served to welcome students into the space and included an after-school slime making session […]

At STE(A)M Truck in Atlanta, GA, Maker VISTA members Jamera Jones and Lauren Schramm were thrown into the maker experience right away – and things have not not gotten dull yet! Their first major project involved planning and supporting the organization’s largest fundraising event, a gala to take place the first week October. Jamera and […]