They say that good things come in bundles—the Harry Potter series, kittens, and, for Wilmington Friends School, this bundle of good things came in the form of our various new additions and upgrades. Among these is the fabulous new Design Lab, dedicated to Ira T. Ellis ’52. The lab is a designated space for students taking the robotics class, known as Smart Machines, and members of the Robotics Club or Science Olympiad to build and test their robots. Anyone who has seen the enthusiasm of Science Olympiad clerks Jayna Jones ’17 and Margaret Sullivan ’17 is aware of the great deal of work that is required for success in any of the robotics disciplines. It is the same level of work comparable to that which was needed to design, dedicate, and implement the lab itself. The hard work that went into the lab is allowing all robotics students in sixth through twelfth grade their own place to work and learn.

     Due to its location, many students think of the lab as an exclusively high school classroom. However, it is also used by middle school students. For example, the middle school has an after-school program called Tinker Time, where students can design and build various things. Since the installation of the lab, students in Tinker Time have been able to work in a bigger space with a wider variety of tools. John Huxtable, Head of Middle School and sponsor of the Design Lab, states: “It is really a place where exploration and creativity happen. We now have a big cupboard of tools for students to use.” Administrative Assistant Margot Johnson adds: “Kids in middle school love playing around with these tools and this room really provides kids with an opportunity to get familiar with their functions.”

     While the tools provided in the lab are useful for robotics students, the room itself has proved to be a valuable space for the whole school. Huxtable also stated, “It’s a great place for teachers and students to communicate and do fun things together without disturbing others.” Another perk of the space is that students and teachers can leave things they didn’t finish on a table and come back to them at a later point. Miranda Peak ’18 says, “In Chinese once we made spring rolls in the Design Lab, and since we didn’t have enough time to finish them, we just left our unfinished rolls there and came back during study hall. It is really a cool space to do activities.” This comment is just one of many that highlights the positive impact the design lab is having on the school community. In addition, these comments should increase the gratitude students and faculty have towards the construction and design put into the new space.

   With an incredible amount of work put into the lab, marvelous things are also coming out of it. Self-proclaimed “sole Upper School representative of Computer Science” Jenks Whittenburg, who teaches the robotics class, mentioned that because the Friends curriculum does not provide a woodshop class, students who may be interested in building things rarely got the chance to do so. However, because of the Design Lab, students are now able to work with their hands. He stated, “When students first come in, they’ve often never used a lot of the tools before, which makes sense because it doesn’t really fit into the existing curriculum. It’s exciting to see students learn how to use the tools and do really interesting things with them.” When asked to describe some of the tools provided for students in the lab, Whittenburg responded with a laundry list of items—most of which previously unavailable in his computer oriented classroom. He and students agree that the Design Lab provides for much more efficient and in depth learning experiences. As Margaret Sullivan ’17 puts it, “The lab is really great because it gives a designated space where we can work on science and robotics with great tools.” Sullivan also points out the added benefit of not having to interrupt Whittenburg’s computer classes when she says, “It’s also helpful because we don’t have to interrupt classes anymore to do what we need to or get the things we need.” Matt Hinderhofer ’17 voices more of these advantages, “The technology and tools are a lot better and it’s better organized so it doesn’t take 45 minutes to find things. It’s also made more people want to join robotics because everything in it looks so cool.” The Design Lab is providing all students, middle and high school, with incredible new opportunities and materials to broaden and add depth to their understanding of robotics.