Hannaford Career Kids Pitch Makerspace Model for Success

Steve Small, outdoing faculty director, has worked with theatrically inspired directors like Tim Burton, directed Hannford's A.R.T.S program which prepared students for careers in the creative industries. Photo courtesy VPR.net

One of the most exciting and inspiring learning spaces in Vermont is Middlebury's Hannaford Career Center, a technical center that boasts outstanding training in graphic arts, the trades, engineering, theater tech and more. Now the Center is pulling several strands of emerging work together to pitch a makerspace model of in-school learning.

Makerspaces have emerged as vibrant shared workspaces where collaboration and support for creative projects take place within an atmosphere of "do it yourself" discovery, design and development. Its a natural fit for a space like Hannaford, which is perfectly positioned to draw upon it culture as a hands-on environment to drive workforce training through community based learning and new proficiency standards.

To help them get there, Hannaford students have put together a crowdfunding campaign to offset costs of their makerspace fit up. Check out their video, and lend a hand!

UPDATE! From the Addison County Economic Development Corporation: Time is running out to help jump start The Makery, a new community Maker Space planned for the Hannaford Career Center (HCC). To be eligible to be considered for a grant from the Gannett Foundation, HCC must crowd source $6,000 by this Friday, May 11.

ACEDC has pledged $1,000, if $5,000 can be raised. For more details and the link to make a contribution to this new community resource, read on and donate here: https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/careercentervt