Upper Columbia Academy (UCA) hosted approximately 250 students from Adventist elementary and junior academies for a TechnicArts Fair on Oct. 26, 2017. The fair presented guest and staff providing hands-on learning labs in 3-D printing, acrylic painting, computer-aided design (CAD), card-making, Christmas ornaments, computer building, cooking, graphic design, gymnastics, knitting, photography, simple machines, soap-making, stained glass, videography and welding.
The campus buzzed with energy as UCA student volunteers assisted the younger guests throughout the day. “My students have been excited about this for weeks,” shared Robyn Featherston, head teacher at Idaho's Sandpoint Junior Academy. The day began with registration and instructions, then the various groups headed to their first learning lab where they embarked learning by doing. As students worked on their laptops designing 3-D objects to print, other students learned gymnastics techniques for tumbling, pyramid building and multiple person elements.
Stained-glass art projects were coming together while other students were taking photographs with canned-smoke effect. The art of knitting was filled with boys and girls stitching rows for squares or circles. All reconvened for lunch at the Wallace Dining Commons, and then students were off to their second learning lab of the day where some assembled components to build a computer, others created test trials and adjustment as part of the physics exploration in the simple machines lab.
The event concluded with smiles and cheers for the show-and-tell crafts created and a slide show of pictures from their learning labs. The day of learning was a true celebration of the complexity God designed in our minds and the potential He created in each person.
TechnicArts Fair welding lab participants learned properties of metal and methods and equipment for working with steel including welding and grinding.
A welcome and introduction to the TechnicArts Fair began in the UCA gymnasium.
UCA AcroSoul team members taught students the importance of balance and teamwork as a participant works on posting and trusting her base. AcroSoul members teach participants tumbling skills on an inflatable runway.
The photography learning lab taught students how to use lighting effects and spray fog effects.
Soap mold making unleashed creativity as students selected molds and designed their color choices.
Each participant utilized design software to create three-dimensional objects such as name plates or key chains using the three-dimensional printer and colored plastic feed line.
Male and female participants of all ages learned about matching needle sizes to types of yarn and then began knitting a circular or rectangular patch.
The simple machines lab challenged students to utilize various laws of physics to carry a rolling object from point A to point B.
