Starting Sept. 15, students started a new STEM Academy project introducing a 3D model of a dorm room they must plan out and build. The main goal for these projects is to get students out of their comfort zone to ask clients questions about their “dream room” and have them work hard to complete it to satisfy their clients. 

STEM Academy is one of the programs offered to juniors and seniors from all three Millard high schools to help guide them through coursework that they would need to accomplish in order to earn a degree in a STEM field in College. 

“This project helps students learn how to communicate with potential clients to get feedback on what they have produced so far,” art teacher Sarah Godfrey said. “It also teaches students how to problem solve when encountering a conflict and push through it to create a project that you get to see the outcome of in the end. Once you get to see your final piece it feels really good to sit there and admire your work.”

Students will be working with 3D printers and chipboards in order to create the furniture within the dorm rooms. For accents and other aspects of the design, students will work with wallpaper, carpet and fabric to develop a welcoming and visually appealing space. 

One component of the students project is the electrical work that students will have to problem solve through in order to make the dorm room “light up” as if someone has just left the space for a moment.

“With every project there comes a conflict,” senior Devan Bourne said. “I think the electrical seems like the hardest part to most people but that is exactly the intent. In STEM Academy you basically sign yourself up to learn how to evaluate and solve problems, so with a little bit of guidance we should all be able to complete our rooms and have working electricity in them to light the room up.” 

In order to create the project, students were given a set of roommates (Millard West teachers who filled out the questionnaire) and came up with a design for a room that both individuals would enjoy to coexist within. Students will be building scaled models of these dorm rooms with furniture, accents, etc. that help to represent the individuals they were given as roommates. 

“For my dorm, I’m going for more of a modern, bohemian, contemporary style,” senior Aubrey Sause said. “Both of my clients had similar likes and dislikes and that type of vibe fits them both. I’m using a chipboard for the base of the room, and designing it with wallpaper samples for flooring, painting my walls, and I’m building furniture with 3D prints and other mediums. “

The STEM Academy projects must be completed by Oct. 3, at the latest in order to have their projects displayed at the Term 1 End of Semester Art Show on Oct. 4 from 6 – 8 p.m.