Pocantico Hills CSD

Designing women, students create special key chains

 

There was a soft whirr emanating from one of the laser printers. Sixth grader Zia Jacobs Finnegan and eighth grader Alana Salfarlie watched closely. Noticing an odd occurrence, they stopped the machine to see what the matter was.

It was not their first time operating the laser printers. The two have been designated as the official student operators. When middle school science teacher Vincent Cook is unable to attend the machines, he trained Zia and Alana to assist.

 

“Mr. Cook wanted to make something for a faculty meeting,” Zia said. “He came and taught us how to design it and operate the printer.”

 

When all was done, Zia and Alana had printed 180 Pocantico key chains that were later given out to faculty and staff.

 

“We had a little bit of trial and error,” Alana said when they were printing. “We tried to do 16 at one time, but that was too much. We ended up printing groups of nine.”

 

Zia had actually learned how to operate the printer last year when she and her friends were making board game pieces as members of the 3D Printing Club.

 

“I was the one writing down the print list. Mr. Cook taught me how to use the printers, and I’ve been helping ever since.”

 

Alana said she also started last year.

 

“I love to see the spark blossom,” Alana said of operating the machine and seeing students’ designs be printed and come to life.

“Three-D Printing Club is an amazing club,” Alana continued. “It encourages creativity in all of these awesome ways.”

 

She added too that the club had a small number of members. But after students began to see what club members were creating, this year the numbers have grown.

 

Zia said the first thing she ever printed was a brown teddy bear. For Alana, it was a keychain that changes colors which she gave to her mom.

 

“She still has it and uses it,” she said.