The media center will include stations for students to be creative and create, invent and learn about working with electronics and building crafts, according to media department chairperson Theresa Ramos. She said these stations will be called makerspaces and will be implemented in one of the pods at the media center sometime this year.

“Makerspace is a space that is often times found at the library, and it offers users the opportunity to try new things and recreate them. This could be digitally, it could be hand-model crafty, wood-working, or something on the lines of engineering and technology, and it could even be through programming to some extent,” she said.

Ramos said with the makerspace, students, including senior Deborah Liu, will have greater opportunities and options in making crafts that interest them.

Liu said she looks forward to utilizing the makerspace for educational purposes and expects students should have the same expectations.

“I would use makerspace because it seems like a new unique opportunity that allows students to be more creative,” she said via email.

“With the many new programs set up, students will be able to find the one program that fits them the best and would allow for them to use it to its full potential,” Liu said. “It would be beneficial because (the do-it-yourself component) would allow students to show their maximum potential of creativity with all of the new things that maker space has to offer. It’s a unique opportunity that isn’t offered to many schools. And for that reason, they should use it because they should take advantage of having this new program right here at Carmel.”

According to Ramos, students will have to wait until the administration and media specialists have decided when to implement the makerspace. Currently, it is funded through a grant the media center had received. The grant will be used to purchase supplies for the makerspace in addition to CHS teachers’ donations of video games and electronics.

During the preparation, Ramos said the use of the grants will be determined by her and other media specialists depending on the interests of students ranging from elementary school to CHS. Ramos said she had utilized the summer as an opportunity to find ideas for possible projects that students can partake in through makerspace.