Maple Crest STEM Middle School students used a 3-D printer and
their engineering skills to craft ornaments for charity.
Eighth-graders in Aaron Hyman’s Science & Engineering course
and Sid Culp’s Technology course designed and printed more than 40
Christmas ornaments using the Autodesk Inventor Mechanical Design &
3-D CAD software, as well as Maple Crest’s MakerBot 3-D printer.
The students used the ornaments to decorate four table-top
Christmas trees that will be auctioned off during Kokomo’s 47-hour We
Care Telethon from Dec. 4th to Dec. 6th.
“We’re trying to teach our students about partnering with
community members and community organizations to do something
bigger than themselves,” Mr. Hyman said.
Students spent weeks creating the Service Learning Project. Each
8th-grader first was challenged to come up with an individual project that
included implementation plans. Mr. Hyman wanted students to learn how
much work went into planning community service projects.
“The students did a great job,” Mr. Hyman said. “Some students
wanted to help the homeless. Some wanted to help animals. Others
wanted to help people with special needs.”
The 8th-graders then came together to discuss their ideas, and
later used those ideas to create a class STEM Service Learning Project. Mr.
Hyman said the students decided to use their skills to benefit We Care,
which donates money to multiple organizations in the community.
We Care has a storied history in Kokomo. It began just before Christmas in 1973 when WWKI Disc
Jockey Dick Bronson received a call while hosting his hour-long, call-in radio program “Viewpoint.” The
call came from a laid-off autoworker who didn’t know how to provide for his family at Christmas. Mr.
Bronson offered to donate $20 (half of his wallet’s contents) if others listening would do the same.
The “Viewpoint” radio program was extended for an extra hour as people opened their hearts and
wallets. More than $1,000 was raised for food, toys, and clothing. Mr. Bronson was able to help the laidoff autoworker, as well as other families in the community.
We Care continues to follow that same philosophy. Every penny raised by the organization is
disbursed to selected local organizations to provide assistance to the economically disadvantaged, as well
as those with special needs. The following five organizations (and one fund) receive support from We
Care fundraisers: the Kokomo Rescue Mission, the Salvation Army, the Kokomo Tribune-sponsored
Goodfellows, Bona Vista Rehabilitative Services, the Mental Health America of Howard County Gift Lift
program, and the We Care Hope Fund for long-term gifting.
Maple Crest Principal Dr. Katie Reckard noted that the 8th-grade students were excited to serve
the community.
“Our students love the idea of completing Service Learning Projects to help others,” Dr. Reckard
explained.
The Maple Crest students spent two weeks designing their ornaments
using the Autodesk Inventor software. Students created stars, snowflakes,
angels, teddy bears, reindeers, a sleigh, candy canes, hearts, snowmen, and a
gift box to hang on their Christmas trees.
“Their designs became more complex as we learned through trial and
error,” Mr. Culp explained.
On a recent morning, Maple Crest 8th-graders Elizabeth Baumfalk,
Jessica Johnson, and Emily Fuller sat at a computer designing new
ornaments. The three students agreed that they enjoy the hands-on project,
especially when they can help someone in need during the process.
“This is fun,” Emily said. “I enjoy the challenge of designing new and different ornaments.”
The We Care fundraiser is not the first Service Learning Project Maple Crest students have
completed. In September, Maple Crest 7th-graders used their Science & Engineering and Technology
courses to build a ramp for a classmate’s home.
Maple Crest 7th-grader Abby Deditch was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in
January. She spent 21 weeks at Peyton Manning
Children’s Hospital, and was released in midSeptember. When she returned home, however,
she needed a wheelchair to move around. Her
family issued a request in early September
searching for a “community-minded, charitydriven group” that would be willing to help build
and install a ramp at their home to maneuver
Abby’s wheelchair in and out of the house.
The students and staff at Maple Crest
immediately reached out to the Deditch family
and offered to complete the work. Dr. Reckard
said the students wanted to help their classmate,
and the project allowed the students to utilize
their STEM skills they learn each day at school to assist a friend.
Last school year, Maple Crest 7th-graders used a 3-D printer to recreate a piece of Kokomo’s
motorcycle heritage as part of yet another Service
Learning Project.
Students in Mr. Culp’s Technology class worked
with the owners at Moody Cycle to help restore a 1910
Kokomo motorcycle. Mr. Culp noted that for a short
time in the early 1900s, a motorcycle manufacturing
company operated on the corner of North and Union
streets in Kokomo. The factory was open only briefly
before it was sold to the Shaw Company, which
eventually sold out to what is now known as the John
Deere Company.
“Because of the company’s short existence, only
one Kokomo motorcycle is known to exist,” Mr. Culp explained. “This motorcycle is owned by Moody
Cycle. Although it is in very good condition, the motorcycle was not complete. A piece that attached the
handlebars to the front forks was missing.”
Students used the 3-D printer to make three different prototypes of the missing part before they
found one that fit on the motorcycle. The Moody owners used the plastic prototype to fabricate a steel
replacement part.
Dr. Reckard noted that these Service Learning Projects put Maple Crest one step closer to
becoming a fully integrated STEM (Science/ Technology/ Engineering/ Math) school.
“The beauty of STEM education is that our Maple Crest students are challenged to think outside of
the box and apply that knowledge in the classroom,” Dr. Reckard concluded. “Students are immersed in
an environment that is rich in real-world problems for them to solve. Students are beginning to
understand how they can help our Kokomo community through STEM education.”