Most of us know Cory Calvert as that guy with the unshakable, positive attitude and seemingly endless patience, who maintains and supports our Makerspace. Some of us may even know that he grew up in Albuquerque, went to school at La Cueva, and earned a bachelor’s degree from UNM in Earth and Physical Sciences. And that, before coming to Georgia O’Keeffe ES, he worked at Cottonwood Montessori as an environmental teacher. But I’ll bet you never knew that in 2003, Cory Calvert and his team smashed the world record for playing the longest ice hockey game ever! With eight players and one ref. on the ice at all times, living on donuts and Red Bull (don’t try this at home!) Cory and his team played for a whopping 125 hours! This record has since been broken, but I think you’ll agree, if you didn’t know it before, our Mr. Makerspace is a pretty awesome guy!
Makerspace
In August 2018, it was official...GO'K was to have a makerspace. Back then, our "MakerSpace" was still called "The Computer Lab Under the Stairs."
By the end of August 2018, Mission MakerSpace was underway. The dinosaur PCs and floor tiles had been removed, the Promethean board disappeared, and the intimidating presence of our school's principal, Jessica Owen, wielding a hammer and toting a tool belt, was not an uncommon sight. But despite all the hubbub and commotion, and a completion deadline of September 24th, Cory Calvert (our MakerSpace EA) and the newly-formed RAM MakerSpace committee were still looking at a very EMPTY space.
After an awe-inspiring tour of EG Ross’s MakerSpace, the committee was not short of ideas on how to fill that void. We even had some start-up money, thanks to $20K from our generous PTA plus $12K from our operating budget, which would cover the salary of a full-time EA to maintain the space and support our kids, in addition to $1,200 from a Caring Cents fundraiser. But there was no way we could hope to recreate what EG Ross had – after all, neither Rome nor MakerSpaces were built in a day! So, “Start Small, Slow, and Steady” became the mantra for Mission MakerSpace.
Fast-forward to December 2018…RAM MakerSpace is now operational. On Monday, September 24th, students from K through 5 began their fifty-minute weekly visits. Due to our desperately limited funds, this space continues to be a work in progress. Nonetheless, with eighteen stations to choose from, time spent here has become an eagerly-awaited treat for all our students and teachers. Will it ever be like the one at EG Ross? We hope not! From the get-go, RAM MakerSpace was on a mission to develop its own unique personality and vibe, and with the continued financial support of our generous GO’K community, we’d like to keep it that way.
---Jacquie Cook
We need help in the Ram Lab Makerspace. If you are able, we need donations of the following items:
- Low temperature (thin) hot glue sticks
- modeling clay
- foam balls
- old electronics
- AA and D batteries
- clothes pins
- pom poms
- 3Doodler Start Ink for the 3D pens
- Clorox wipes
- Kleenex
- paper plates
- colored tape
Your support is greatly appreciated! Your child can bring it with them to Makerspace during the week, or items can be dropped off to the office.
