Collaboratory Corner

The Wrap-up to the Collaboratory's Fabulous First Year

Now that the school year has come to a close, there has been some time to reflect on the amazing year that it has been.  It's crazy to think that one year ago, the Collaboratory was just an exciting idea that held so much promise and opportunity.  Not only has the Collaboratory's studio been completely transformed, evolving throughout the year to meet the needs and interests of our students, but the program itself has blossomed into something truly spectacular.  It's not just a makerspace or an engineering lab or a project studio.  It's the land of possibilities and adventures.  It's a world full of "how might we..." and "what if we tried..." and "I bet we could...".  It's a place where the impossible seems possible and where problems can be tackled and solved together as a team.  It's creativity, determination, collaboration, and perseverance, all rolled into one.  For me, it's my happy place.  I want to take a minute to thank everyone who made this year possible: our fantastic administrative team, our dynamic staff, our supportive and generous families, and most importantly, the incredible kiddos who have taught me so much along the way.  I can't wait to keep this momentum going next year!

Also, you may have been curious to see how some of our final projects turned out during our last few weeks of school.  Take a peek at how we finished the year:

In Pre-School, the students created "Maker Monsters" who could watch over their maker adventures this summer.  Of course, the Maker Monsters contact Mrs. Murro to let her know about all of the cool creations that were made! 

Our kindergarten engineers completed and tested their solar ovens!

Our first grade engineers finished building and improving their maglev transportation systems.

Our second grade engineers improved and tested their oil spill clean-up systems.  

Our third grade engineers finished testing different simple machines!

Our fourth grade engineers created and tested their alarm circuits.

On the last day of school, it was time to set our worm babies (who grew into beautiful full-grown worms) free into the TES Garden so that they could work their magic on the growing vegetables over the summer!

I wish all of you a wonderful summer, and I hope you will continue to follow our Collaboratory adventures next year because we have some big plans for Year Two!