Located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and open for over 50 years, Cumberland Valley High School has gone through some significant changes, including massive increases in the student population, as well as heightened demand for cutting-edge learning facilities.
The Challenge: Increasing hands-on technical learning opportunities.
During Cumberland Valley High School’s reconstruction, a great deal of emphasis was placed on developing a strong in-classroom learning experience for the students. A hands-on program that could enhance the learning environment for a classroom was very important to the school’s mission. In search of a technology that could meet these ambitious needs, Technology Instructor Robert Rudolph saw a CO2 laser system in action at a state association trade show. He immediately knew the system would be a very good addition to the school’s program.
The biggest obstacle in purchasing a laser was price. Knowing he had to keep within the school's budget, Robert initially reconsidered the CO2 laser purchase and looked at other technology options. However, after meeting with one of Epilog’s educational distributors, he soon realized that a CO2 laser could be a real possibility for his classroom.
The Solution:
Robert indeed made it a reality and purchased the Epilog Laser system for his technology department. "The kids love it! It’s easy to use, students learn it very quickly and it is very motivational for them. Students can easily add clip art, text and photographs in CorelDRAW to their projects and then send it to the machine," Robert said.
In fact, the students of the technology class have created many items using the Epilog Laser, including awards for the school’s teachers and tiles to commemorate the reconstruction of the building. For the tile project, the Technology Student Association team came up with a logo to etch onto the tiles, then added color to each tile and sold them to the high school teachers and students as a fundraiser to help them get to their school's state technology competition.
"The tiles are to be used as coasters. We used printer’s ink to fill the tile etching and added felt to the back and sold them. The engraver is just like a regular printer only it’s a laser!” said Robert.
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