A new classroom at Barrington High School is helping students spark creative ideas.

The iCreate Lab, which is run entirely by student interns, offers students an opportunity for self-directed learning through "deeper learning projects." Students can build things inside the lab and take a much more hands-on approach to education.

Some of the equipment in the lab includes a vinyl cutter, a heat press for making T-shirt designs, sewing machines, a plotter that makes engineering plans and posters, and 3-D design program computers and printers.

Recently, students in American studies classes were charged with creating something from the historical era they were studying. In the iCreate Lab, the students made a tapestry that told a story.

Barrington High School sophomore Ari Dulchinos said she tries to spend as much time as possible in the iCreate Lab, sewing and working on the 3-D printer and computer.

“I like the collegiate feel here in the lab," said Ari. "I have made all sorts of things on the 3-D printer like charms, measuring cups and ornaments."

The iCreate Lab has been more than a year in the works. Business teacher Dana Pagliaro said officials began planning for the new classroom last year, but needed to first find a suitable space.

“Most ‘maker spaces’ as they are called are usually found in libraries," said Mrs. Pagliaro. "Our library is at capacity so we were lucky to find an open room. This was a blank slate for the lab."

Mrs. Pagliaro partners with technology education teacher Brian DeLaire and school librarian Suzanne Costa to form the design team. They created policies and procedures and recruited a team of student leaders. 

The design team also developed a plan for the iCreate Lab that includes: Creating a student-run fabrication lab with state of the art equipment; developing business and industry partnerships; and leveraging a community board to allow students to work directly on projects requested by community members.

The community board is a platform that connects local businesses or organizations with the students at the high school in a mutually beneficial relationship. A business or organization that has a need may submit a request using the "community request" tab on the school’s website. 

Mrs. Pagliaro will review the request and determine the most effective means for addressing the need. That may include matching the request with a class which will solve the problem through a class project, finding an individual who can work in the iCreate Lab to address the need, or by creating an internship opportunity for a student or group of students.  

This approach provides students with an opportunity to apply the skills they are learning in the classroom to real world situations. It also helps businesses and organizations fill a need or solve a problem.  

The result is a productive partnership that brings together the school and the community.

Officials said the iCreate Lab also allows students an opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary projects that promote student voice and choice. It also empowers some students to serve as teachers and coaches to other students.

Over the last semester, 19 student interns manned the iCreate Lab and kept it running smoothly. The interns oversee the lab during their study hall periods and earn credit towards graduation.

Roman Sequeira, a sophomore intern in the lab and a “budding artist,” said he enjoys the hands-on learning opportunities the lab offers.

“Learning programming and how to use all these tools is the wave of the future and will be as common as writing an essay,” he said.

A Barrington Education Foundation grant of $38,000 helped fund the new program.