Teachers Maria Faircloth and Courtney Bennis collaborated with the school’s IT specialists Lauren Teed and Barbara Beesal to bring  a unique and immersive learning experience to Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. History classes. Together, they worked on a project where students were divided into teams to design 3D printed monuments focused on the Reconstruction Era using the Tinkercad application.

This hands-on approach allowed students to delve into the complexities of the historical period and convey its significance through their creations. The chosen theme, Abolish Slavery, offered students the opportunity to show elements of cohesiveness, desegregation and freedom within their projects. 

“We developed the idea in hopes of cultivating an inspiring and interactive learning environment for our students, ” Faircloth said. “The students’ participation, along with their exceptional ideas and interest in the project was everything we hoped.”

Juniors Hudson Bartley, Carter Baum, Dominic Ostrowski, Caden Hedrick, William Kicker and Christian Fletcher combined efforts in Bennis’s class to develop a human circle that shows the idea of desegregation in America. Each mini-statue was given different skin colors, then placed into a circle in an attempt to show how unity can create a sense of freedom.

“I actually really enjoyed the project and that we were able to use the 3D printer,” Bartley said. ” It made the topic and lessons we learned much easier to understand and we were able to get creative with our work.”