OXFORD - Oxford Academy is rounding the corner on a brand new makerspace that school officials hope will bridge the gaps between learning and innovation.

With construction complete and roughly $250,000 worth of cutting-edge equipment now online, the school aims to launch the “Blackhawk Fab Lab” by early fall. The digital fabrication lab at the middle school is a culmination of the district’s years-long effort to set up a workspace where students, and the community at whole, can bring their creative ideas into fruition.

“When we put this together, we had an end-in-mind philosophy; and so I think the goal was to get it going and see where it ends up,” said Oxford Superintendent John Hillis, adding his vision of working with local agencies, businesses, community members, and other school districts to give the entire region an entrepreneurial edge. “This is not just about Oxford students. This is going to be about community, the region, and about sharing with everyone else. That’s where our focus is.”

Construction of Oxford’s Fab Lab began in 2019 with the use of capital funds to overhaul the former bus garage at the middle school. Buses were moved to a new garage built at the high school, and remaining capital was used to transform the middle school garage into a makerspace.