Maker Spotlight: Benita Cooper x Haddonfield Memorial High School
0Connecting Students and Professionals
We love a good Makedo community collaboration and here is one that really shows what can be achieved when experts in a particular field, school students and community facilitators connect.
Benita Cooper, an award-winning architect and designer in the US, recently collaborated with Haddonfield Public Library, to run a project with Haddonfield Memorial High School students. The project was co-led by Allie Hall Westerside, an Art teacher at the high school.
Makedo in the Library
The aim of the project was for students to create functional, structural and beautiful book display stands. Benita provided a project framework for the students to guide them through the various stages of the design and making process. Students used the framework, Makedo and their creativity and critical thinking skills to create the best design and product to eventually be used to display featured and new books for the Teen Lounge in the library.
Design Process and Learning Objectives
Along the way students were taught important skills that would help them through the process; schematic design, prototyping, testing and public speaking identified as some of the key skills required. Some other main design principles explored to build ideas and assist with creating prototypes were grain direction, material thickness and triangulation.
Tangible Outcomes
There is so much value in collaborating and sharing your skills with the wider community. What's the use of being awesome at your job if you can't share that knowledge for the future?
The projects were great, but the young women and men’s smiles from knowing they have done their best were even greater.
