Hello everyone,
Plans are underway for the next Wayne County Mini Maker Faire on May 19th, 2018. Be sure to mark your calendar to attend and especially to participate as a “maker”. The Daily Record said it best: “Dubbed the ‘Greatest Show and Tell on Earth’, over 1,300 people flocked to the inaugural faire at the University of Akron Wayne College this past May where they were able to step back in time and see the future at the same time.
But you don’t have to wait until 2018 to enjoy the excitement and awe of Maker Faire. These events are happening all over the country (and all over the world), over 220 of them each year! Need inspired? Check out these photos from Denver’s Mini Maker Faire. You’ll see battle bots, toys that play with people, and an augmented reality sandbox that uses a projector and an Xbox Kinect that transforms 200 pounds of white sand into a shape-shifting, topographical map where mountains, valleys, lakes, and rivers blink in and out of existence.
For those wondering, what, exactly, is a maker faire, it is ‘a gathering of fascinating, curious people who enjoy learning and who love sharing what they can do. From engineers to artists to scientists to crafters, Maker Faire is a venue for these ‘makers’ to show hobbies, experiments, projects,’ according to its website.”
We are proud to showcase Ohio makers who participated in the Wayne County Mini Maker Faire! One such group are woodworking students from Hiland High School, led by instructor Roche Harmon. Students grade 9-12 have made everything from chess tables to dressers to gun racks.
During the Maker Faire last May, students will be displayed their woodworking projects they have made earlier this year. Some of the projects at the faire included coffee tables, display tables, dressers, chess tables, gun racks, tables, and storage boxes. Roche Harmon is currently the Industrial Technology Teacher at Hiland High School, which is part of the East Holmes Local School District, where he teaches woodworking and computer aided design. He is currently completing his 33rd year of teaching. He wants to make a difference in the lives of students in the area of woodworking.
Rounding out our makers who participated is RAMTEC – Wayne County Schools Career Center’s newest program. Focusing on the needs of local industry, they offer both High School and Adult Education classes in Robotics, Automation and CNC Machining.
RAMTEC is the new addition at the Career Center. Its focus is on Advanced Manufacturing, Robotics, Automation, and CNC machining. They brought a small robot demo, a small Automation demo and a small CNC demo unit. RAMTEC is a new program designed to fill the skills gap in Ohio for Advanced Manufacturing employment.
If you would like to know more about Hiland High School students’ woodworking projects or the Wayne County Schools Career Center’s RAMTEC, please reply to this email.
Plans are underway for the 2018 Wayne County Mini Maker Faire! Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 19, 2018 for the 2nd Annual Wayne County Mini Maker Faire. The event is free to attend and participate. To be a maker at the faire, be sure to signup here. We’d love to have you. Thanks and we look forward to you joining us in 2018!
Until next week,
Tom