Stronger Together: Turpin Engineering Students Create Custom Solution for Special Education Classrooms

When the FHSD Special Education department unexpectedly received an order of defective equipment for its classrooms earlier this school year, they were left with usable materials that could have ended up in the trash. The department wondered if the creativity and knowledge of Turpin High School’s engineering classes could be a solution to prevent this, sparking a collaboration that allowed students to solve a real-world problem impacting their community.  

At the start of each school year, the Special Education department orders items for classrooms that will support teachers and students. One of the purchases this year were privacy dividers to help students focus. Upon their arrival, the dividers were missing pieces that didn’t allow them to stand on their own. The department received a refund for their purchase and were told to keep the items. This still left them with an array of materials and parts, and instead of wasting them, they decided to approach Turpin’s engineering teacher, Mr. James Glaser, for a student-led solution to the problem. Turpin students rolled up their sleeves and got to work.

A group of Mr. Glaser’s students worked together during engineering classes to develop new pieces that would allow the dividers to stand on their own. Senior Adam Jansen created the design and fellow seniors Nick Belck, Gavin Gillard and Liam McCord helped with the assembly. Through a development process consisting of trial and error spanning a couple of months, they used the classroom’s 3D printer to create supports and custom claw-like parts that easily and securely snap onto the dividers. The clips they developed also have the capability of fastening the dividers together, giving the equipment even more opportunities to help students. 

“We are so grateful for this group of Turpin students and Mr. Glaser’s willingness to work on this project. They were able to continue the life of these pieces of equipment that will support students with diverse learning needs,” said James Roth, Associate Director of Special Education. “This is a true example of our district’s values of connections, ownership and growth, and working together to make our schools and community stronger.” 

Mr. Roth and his administrative assistant, Jill Bolden-Kempf, picked up the new equipment from Turpin on December 15 to personally thank the group for their hard work, creativity and dedication. Their enthusiasm to be part of this project is a terrific representation of FHSD’s beliefs that we are stronger together with the power to transform tomorrow.