At Makerspace’s first-ever community event, parents, guardians and future students crowded around hands-on activity tables led by Makerspace students. A glowing outdoor sculpture garden took creativity to a new level with paper and wooden creations ranging from crocodiles to pigs.

“Glow in the Park aims to showcase the skills that students learn in Makerspace and […] allow[s] the public to come in
and see what the space is like and what […] they could do if they were part of it,” said Daniel Pilchman, Woodbridge High’s Makerspace program instructor.

Community members participated in indoor student-led activities, including animatronics, the operation and creation of lifelike robots, and 3D printing, or the process of creating a physical object from a digital model. Event attendees also
admired the creative outdoor sculpture garden that showed the true creativity of Makerspace students.

“I’ve hung all the lights, all the jellyfish [on massive decorative poles and have done] a lot of planning,” said senior Owen Montgomery, a Makerspace student who led much of the event planning. In addition to his woodwork, Montgomery also helped with an indoor activity, operating a Computer Numerical Control, or CNC machine.

Senior Joey Payan, who was in charge of selling tickets for the student-led activities and overseeing much of the business side of the event was another one of Pilchman’s students involved with the student-led event. At the evening event, Makerspace participants detailed the benefits of the growing program at Woodbridge High, where they learn how to manufacture everyday things like electric guitars and giant parade floats. Makerspace also provides students with hands-on exposure to popular concepts in classes like Physics helping students form a path towards college or technical school.

“I want to be an engineer when I’m older so I think Makerspace is definitely a start to that. I think I’m gaining a lot of
skills; especially leadership skills, in this class that will help me in the future,” said Payan, the president of the Maker
Club on campus.

The Makerspace program along with its instructor, Pilchman, has led students to achieve goals and find purpose within their rigorous schedules. “I see it …as an outlet to do what I like to do, I …find it fun. I don’t really consider it as a class,” said Montgomery.

During Glow in the Park, Payan, Montgomery and countless other students showed parents, guardians and future Woodbridge High students the power of using their hands to make a difference in fun new ways that ensure Makerspace will continue for many years.