On a 90-degree fall day, virtual reality can take students to an ice rink in a Christmas village. 3D printers can bring the Marvel Cinematic Universe to East Las Vegas as layers of filaments take the form of a Baby Groot figure.
Verizon sponsored the labs that opened this year in all three Mater campuses, bringing technology like virtual-reality headsets, augmented-reality apps, 3D printers, and even a machine that makes die-cut stickers for the middle-school grades.
Verizon's Innovative Learning Schools program is a nationwide "digital inclusion" initiative from the telecom giant to bring cutting-edge technology to schools that serve typically under-resourced students. Mater, a charter school chain, has two K-8 campuses and one K-12 school in Southern Nevada, all in the east valley.
Trevor Harder, a science teacher and the technology integration coach at Mater Bonanza, said students could explore the technology through two elective courses: one focusing on immersive technology — the experiential virtual and augmented reality — and the other on digital product innovation, which covers the 3D modeling and graphic sticker-making. While the new labs are only for middle-schoolers, enrolling about 100 kids a year, students who fall in love with the media can apply the concepts to high school courses in engineering or marketing.
Not just learning the technology in a vacuum, they can apply it to their interests. While some of his students might have virtual reality headsets at home to play video games, the technology can also blend gaming with what can be found in a textbook, Harder said.
One of his students is interested in rainforests, so she's creating a virtual-reality presentation on the jungle. It will incorporate the calls of critters.
Jaden Valladares, an eighth-grader at Mater Bonanza, has his own VR headset for gaming and was a classroom helper with the devices. He said he hoped to incorporate virtual reality into his career, whatever that ends up being.
"You can leave the reality, and you meet other people around the world," he said.
For the more business-minded, 3D-printed figures and fidget toys will be sold as fundraisers to buy more plastic filaments to create more figures. Baby Groot will be among those sold at Mater's Fall Fest this month, and Harder said he expected it to be a big seller, so they've been printing nonstop — each stocky 6-inch tall figure takes 48 hours to complete.
Jade Duran, a sixth-grader at Mater East, likes both VR and 3D printing.
"You can turn a 2D thing like a drawing to a 3D one," she said.
"All our students like when they see their creations come to life," Harder noted. "When they see them printing they get super excited."
Kuulei Jakubczak, Verizon's director of community and government affairs for Nevada, said the Mater schools were the only ones in the state to get these labs this year.
She said the high-tech labs were meant to give children tools to open up their minds to possibilities. And she finds that students come through the technology classes learning life skills and wanting to be entrepreneurs.
"It's doing everything we want them to do," she said.
NEW MAGNET PROGRAMS ESTABLISHED
The Clark County School District is launching two new middle-school magnet programs next year using a $15 million federal grant.
The money from the U.S. Department of Education's Magnet Schools Assistance Program will allow environmental science, technology, engineering and math programs at Johnston Middle School in North Las Vegas and Burkholder Middle School in Henderson.
This brings the number of CCSD schools with magnets to 44 across all grade levels, and applications are open for students interested in joining any of the programs next year.
Learn more at magnet.ccsd.net or CCSD's School Choice Fair from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, 315 S. Seventh St.
The application deadline is Jan. 9. A lottery will be conducted for any program when there are more qualifying students than available seats.
Families can also consider applying for a change of school assignment, or COSA, which allows students to attend school outside of the zone based on their parent or guardian's official residence. This is not a magnet program and only schools with room will accept applications.
Find a COSA-eligible school and learn more about the process at itsyourchoice.ccsd.net/change-of-school-assignment. Applications are expected to be open soon.
LVA STUDENTS TO PERFORM AT SMITH CENTER
More than 230 students from Las Vegas Academy of the Arts band, choir and orchestra programs will perform a concert called "Dedication" on Wednesday at the Smith Center.
New York-based violinist Yen-Ling Chen, Cirque Du Soleil performer Tymara Walker and the Epoch Percussion Quartet will join students from LVA's Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Chorus and Philharmonic Orchestra on stage.
Tickets range from $25 to $100. The show will last about two hours, which includes a 20-minute intermission.
Go to thesmithcenter.com/tickets/2324/las-vegas-academy to buy tickets.
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