Calavera Hills Teachers Doing Their Part

Press release from the Carlsbad Unified School District:

April 30, 2020

In these difficult times of online learning while sheltering in place, many Carlsbad Unified teachers are responding to the COVID-19 crisis by making a difference in their communities -- supporting the work of medical professionals and helping to keep community members safe. Here are some highlights from Calavera Hills Middle School.

Seventh-grade Science teacher Sarah Rines and her family have sewn over 1,000 face masks, distributing them free to anyone in the Calavera community who needs them. For years, Mrs. Rines has made and given away quilts to those “in need of a little extra love in their lives.” Now she has a garage full of beautiful donated fabric to put to even better use. Wanting to keep health care workers and community members safe, she and her family set up an assembly line -- a cutting table and two sewing machines -- and went to work. Their initial hope was to help friends in the healthcare industry. Since then, they have expanded the circle and delivered masks to neighborhood medical professionals, parents of students, work colleagues and their families. Now there sits on her driveway a chair festooned with masks and a sign saying “Free.”

Lauran Gerhart, Science and Art teacher at Calavera Hills Middle School (CHMS), has been using 3D printers to make different kinds of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for our local heroes. Because masks worn in a medical setting are tight-fitting, and many wear the same mask all day long, Ms. Gerhart has made ear savers and ear bands to outfit the masks with a more comfortable flexible filament. She is also working on printing face shields and full masks with a filter insert. She does these things to recognize and give back to those who have sacrificed so much, and hopes that her gestures make healthcare workers feel appreciated for all they do.

During a “regular” semester, CHMS Science teacher Aaron Sottile’s Design and Modeling students use 3D printers to build prosthetic hands for children around the world who need them. Since schools have shifted to online learning due to COVID-19, Mr. Sottile has been running the 3D printers ’round the clock to make PPE for local healthcare professionals. He distributes face shields and mask comfort straps to health care centers such as Scripps Encinitas.

Mr. Sottile and Ms. Gerhart work on their PPE projects with assistance from James Wright, CEO of Classroom of the Future Foundation and Braydon Moreno, President of Robo 3D, and in cooperation with MiraCosta College. ”The way we act in times of crisis speaks volumes about who we are as people and as a society,” said Mr. Sottile. “We all want to be able to look back and say, ‘I did my part.’ We want to challenge kids to use the design process for good, finding things to make that are useful, and to be a part of something larger than themselves. Most importantly, we want those who are out there on the front lines to know that they have our support.”

CHMS Principal Michael Ecker said, “These stories remind us of how important our teachers are, and how large of an impact they make in our community. Our teachers are superheroes. We have long known that a teacher’s impact is even larger than helping students master standards. Their influence can change who we are as a society.”

This press release was produced by the Carlsbad Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.