New Hope-Solebury Cuts Ribbon On State-Of-The-Art STEAM Lab

NEW HOPE, PA — Inside the new state-of-the-art STEAM lab at New Hope-Solebury High School students are preparing for the careers of the future.

District and community leaders joined teachers, parents and students to cut the ribbon on the new space where students can delve into and explore science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics in four core areas - robotics, engineering, multi-media and materials.

“This is an incredible space," said Superintendent Dr. Charles Lentz. “About three years ago we developed a comprehensive plan to reinvent some of our instructional spaces with a focus on STEAM and this is one of the initiatives that came out of that."

3-D Printers were busy working on projects during the open house. (photo by Jeff Werner)

A Techno Router is a main feature inside the materials room. (photo by Jeff Werner)

The STEAM Lab is also part of a multi-year vision by the district "to make learning more engaging for our students and to make sure they are ready for college, careers and the future," said Lentz.

In addition to the lab, the district has added a full time STEAM K to 12 coordinator and a K-5 STEAM teacher to its staff to bolster its efforts. A new K-5 Steam Special is designed to give kids the opportunity to start thinking big at a younger age.

“The work that has been going on has been really incredible,” said Lentz.

Since September, the district has been converting the former nursing suite, old school printing operation and wood shop into the new area for learning and exploration.

Now instead of the clatter of old school printing presses, the hum of 3-D printers and laser cutters are filling the air as they burn the school’s logo into pieces of wood and create action figurines.

Richard Curtis, K-12 STEAM Coordinator inside the materials lab. (photo by Jeff Werner)

The robotics arena. (photo by Jeff Werner)

Inside the former nursing suite, an army of robots appear to be ready for competition in an arena devoted to robotics and equipped with drop-down bleachers.

“When we are doing trials with the robotics teams, everyone can watch what’s going on,” said the district’s K-12 STEAM coordinator Richard Curtis as he took visitors on a tour of the new lab. “This is an area where we can sit and watch when other teams come in.”

In the next room, students are checking out a state-of-the-art, full-on media studio with a heavy esports emphasis.

"When you look around it’s not just a renovated space, but a crossroads of a lot of our district initiatives going on right now," said Curtis. "In this space you’ll see manufacturing, engineering, robotics, multimedia, but also this will have a club for robotics, esports and engineering."

State-of-the-art multi-media center. (photo by Jeff Werner)

At the far end of the new space is an impressive material processing lab, which formerly housed the school's wood shop. There students can cut metal and wood using high tech machines, including a Techno Router.

“This is the finish line, but it’s just as much a starting line. This is a spring board into some next level staff,” said Curtis. “You put in infrastructure that’s beautiful. You add curriculum that is top tier and you’re going to come out with the most prepared students for that next level that we possibly can.

“And that is what we were going for. I want my kids to be more prepared than any other school in the area. We have given them a space to be able to do that,” he said.

Senior Emma Smith said it's exciting to see the new lab although she's disappointed that she'll only get to experience it for a few months before heading off to Penn State to study film.

"Maybe I'm bias because I love film, but my favorite part of the new lab is the studio. Instead of hand held cameras, they have cameras like they have in a studio. It's going to be great to get that experience using them."

Junior Riley Wilson added that he's also looking forward to experiencing the new multi-media studio and to see where it can take him.

"I really big into photography - editing videos, taking videos - and I'm really excited to be able to help bring the esports cultural alive. My goal is to live stream all of the game play onto the projector and then onto the big screen. I'm super excited.

"New Hope really needed this change," he added. "Our old STEM lab wasn't very user friendly. This is super user friendly. If you want to know anything about engineering, robotics, multi-media, you can come in here to learn. And we have some of the greatest and brightest teachers. I'm really excited about this entire experience."