Oxford Academy ready to take “Blackhawk Fab Lab” to next level
Scott Donahue, the manager hired to oversee operations at Oxford Academy's new makerspace, provides an overview of the cutting-edge equipment available at the “Blackhawk Fab Lab.” (Photo by Kathryn Rutz)
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.
To make the Blackhawk Fab Lab a reality, Oxford Academy teamed up with businesses and community partners to piece together a mission that focused on providing skills-based learning for students. One of its biggest partners has been Siemens USA, a company that prides itself on finding solutions for manufacturing and offering assistance in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in education.
The district also pulled in help from the Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM (TIES), which offered support for lab set up. And from an advisory panel of educators, business and community leaders, and higher education personnel from SUNY Broome and Binghamton University.
Scott Donahue, the Fab Lab manager hired to oversee operations, said his goal is to hit the ground running with students come September. Donahue will work closely with students, guiding them through hands-on use of Fab Lab equipment, including 3D printers, etching and embroidery machines, design software, vinyl printers, soldering stations, and piece kits.
“It’s very exciting. There’s a lot to be learned and a lot to be done - things we haven’t even thought about,” said Donahue. “The superintendent’s vision of what we want to get out of this for these children is fantastic. Our job is to give them the ability to take anything they can think of in their mind and turn it into a work skill, a project, or a new development.”
More than two dozen members attended an Oxford Fab Lab advisory committee meeting held last week, including the superintendents of Norwich and Greene school districts, State Assemblyman Joe Angelino, and a representative of Siemens USA. The committee’s now examining the next steps needed to share resources with the region, and make Oxford’s makerspace a hub for out-of-the-box thinking. An official unveiling is planned for the fall.
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.
To make the Blackhawk Fab Lab a reality, Oxford Academy teamed up with businesses and community partners to piece together a mission that focused on providing skills-based learning for students. One of its biggest partners has been Siemens USA, a company that prides itself on finding solutions for manufacturing and offering assistance in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in education.
The district also pulled in help from the Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM (TIES), which offered support for lab set up. And from an advisory panel of educators, business and community leaders, and higher education personnel from SUNY Broome and Binghamton University.
Scott Donahue, the Fab Lab manager hired to oversee operations, said his goal is to hit the ground running with students come September. Donahue will work closely with students, guiding them through hands-on use of Fab Lab equipment, including 3D printers, etching and embroidery machines, design software, vinyl printers, soldering stations, and piece kits.
“It’s very exciting. There’s a lot to be learned and a lot to be done - things we haven’t even thought about,” said Donahue. “The superintendent’s vision of what we want to get out of this for these children is fantastic. Our job is to give them the ability to take anything they can think of in their mind and turn it into a work skill, a project, or a new development.”
More than two dozen members attended an Oxford Fab Lab advisory committee meeting held last week, including the superintendents of Norwich and Greene school districts, State Assemblyman Joe Angelino, and a representative of Siemens USA. The committee’s now examining the next steps needed to share resources with the region, and make Oxford’s makerspace a hub for out-of-the-box thinking. An official unveiling is planned for the fall.
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