Strayer Club Showcases Student Creativity

    If you've seen one of the swanky new QCEA mugs, you've seen the professional work of our Strayer Makers. And these crafty kids surely live up to the club's name, making everything from professional-looking mugs to signs, t-shirts, and even decals.
    The 'Makers' are the brainchild of Strayer Technology and Engineering teacher, Jeff Bonsall. The club started a few years ago out of necessity -- they needed money to buy a CNC Router for the group. So, they got to work making things to sell. That year, the 2016-17 school year, the group raised more than $6,000 from local businesses and organizations.
     And the program continues to grow every year. The following year, the group was able to buy even more tools, including a printer and heat press. Last year, the group bought a vinyl cutter so kids can design and print decals.
     The group meets daily during the school's resource period. Students get invited to join the group based on grades, initiative, and responsibility. Once the students learn all of the safety requirements, the possibilities of what they can make are endless.
     In addition to the mugs, the 'Makers' have made shirts for other groups, clubs, and teams in the district, including Reading Olympics, the basketball team, the field hockey team.
    The group also started a "Solution Center," where teachers can submit a request for help from the 'Makers.' The group will then brainstorm and come up with solutions and then make them! They have created things like sink covers, hall passes, and name tags.   
    Bonsall truly embraces the idea of learning by doing and encourages the students to think outside the box.
    "Basically, if you can dream it, you can make it," Bonsall said he tells the students.
    If you are in need of a technology solution, consider reaching out to Mr. Bonsall to see if he group can come up with a solution for you.