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Insights from
1st Maker Space

Discover how schools are transforming STEM learning through hands-on making, creativity, and innovation. Explore the latest news, inspiring stories and insights from our community.

  • Makerspaces

Featured Makerspace: Dugger Union Jr./Sr. High School

At Dugger Union Jr./Sr. High School, the makerspace is preparing students for life beyond graduation by combining hands-on learning with real-world career skills. Led by Computer Science teacher and Makerspace Manager Abby Howard, students gain experience with CNC machines, laser design, carpentry, and engineering challenges that build creativity, confidence, and problem-solving skills. Through open-ended projects and practical experiences, the makerspace is helping students discover their strengths while preparing them for college, the skilled trades, and today's evolving workforce.
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  • Makerspaces

Freedom to Create: Inside the River Valley Middle School Makerspace

River Valley Middle School's unique three-room makerspace gives students the freedom to create, innovate, and explore at their own pace. Led by Maker Manager Stephen Tull, the program is fostering confidence, engagement, and meaningful learning experiences that extend far beyond the classroom.
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  • Makerspaces

Where Faith Meets Making at St. Nicholas School

At St. Nicholas School in Sunman, Indiana, the makerspace is bringing the school’s mission to life by blending hands-on learning with faith and service. Through creative, real-world projects, students are building confidence, strengthening problem-solving skills, and fostering a strong sense of community among peers, teachers, and families.
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  • Makerspaces

Featured Makerspace: Cornhusker Council Scouts of America

The Cornhusker Council Scouts of America in Lincoln, Nebraska is bringing hands-on learning on the road with their mobile makerspace trailer. By connecting Scouts with skilled mentors and real-world STEM experiences, this innovative program is sparking curiosity, building skills, and helping youth explore future career pathways wherever they are.
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  • Professional Development

Spark Creativity This Summer: Join Our Free Virtual Makerspace PD Series

This summer, 1st Maker Space is offering four free, one-hour virtual PD sessions designed to inspire hands-on learning and introduce educators to tools like AI, robotics, and digital fabrication. Each session provides practical strategies, ready-to-use resources, and engaging ideas that can be immediately implemented in classrooms or makerspaces.
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  • Insights & Research

Starting a Makerspace: Advice from the Field

Starting or growing a makerspace can feel overwhelming, but it does not have to be. In our latest blog, educator Adam Leutenegger shares 10 practical tips from the field to help schools build meaningful, sustainable makerspaces. From starting small to building a strong maker culture, this is a must-read for anyone looking to bring hands-on learning to their students.
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  • Makerspaces

Building Career Pathways Through Hands-On Learning at West Side Leadership Academy

West Side Leadership Academy in Gary, Indiana is transforming learning through a dynamic makerspace that gives high school students access to hands-on STEM experiences and real-world problem solving. As the only high school in the Gary Community School Corporation, the school serves grades 9 through 12 and offers students opportunities to explore science, technology, engineering, and the arts in meaningful, career-connected ways.
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  • Insights & Research

Keep Kids Engaged Through Interactive Laser-Cutting Makerspace Activities

If you could only choose one piece from your makerspace equipment list, what should it be? The answer might surprise you: a laser cutter.
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  • Makerspaces

3D Printing Projects for Students

Students return to school each fall with fresh energy and the motivation to learn. For many, a 3D printer in the makerspace represents possibility—but that possibility only becomes real learning when students move beyond simply printing downloaded files.
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  • Makerspaces

Essential Makerspace Equipment List: School Makerspaces on a Budget

You're ready to launch a makerspace at your school, but where do you start? Walking into the world of makerspace supplies can feel overwhelming, especially with budget constraints and administrators asking for justification
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  • Makerspaces

Encourage Creative Problem-Solving With STEM Kits

You want to bring maker education into your classroom, but the thought of managing laser cutters or troubleshooting 3D printers can seem intimidating for teachers new to makerspaces.
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  • Makerspaces

Cross-Curricular Makerspaces : Tools for Science, Art & Engineering

Walk into most school makerspaces and you'll find students working on science experiments and technology projects.
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  • Makerspaces

How to Make a Makerspace Collaborative & Engaging for Your Students

Every day, students walk into classrooms and see rows of desks, stacks of worksheets, and an endless supply of pencils. When those same students step into a makerspace and see 3D printers, cardboard sheets, and robotics kits sitting ready for exploration, the difference in how they respond tells you everything about what makes a makerspace work.
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  • Makerspaces

Building a School Vision For Your Makerspace

The difference between a makerspace that transforms learning and one that becomes an underused storage room often comes down to vision.
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  • Makerspaces

Are Makerspaces Just a Fad? Why Schools Should Invest In The Hype

You've watched teaching fads sweep through conferences and professional development sessions, only to fade when the next big thing arrives.
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  • Makerspaces

Middle School, Major Impact: Inside Eggers Makerspace

Eggers Middle School’s makerspace is a cross-curricular innovation hub where students build confidence and real-world skills through hands-on projects like engineering challenges, coding, and robotics, helping middle schoolers explore future career pathways.
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  • Insights & Research

The Handwriting Effect and the Fight for Cognitive Sovereignty in STEM Education

Andrew B. Raupp is the founder of STEM.org Educational Research and a recognized leader in STEM education innovation. He has served as the inaugural Chairman of the Forbes Technology Council’s Edtech and Fintech subcommittees and co-founded the Newsweek Expert Forum. Known for his work in blockchain-based STEM credential validation and as a leading voice on education reform, Andrew has been featured in Forbes and Newsweek and recognized as an Emerging Leader by Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He continues to advocate for transparent, decentralized, and community-driven approaches to STEM education.
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  • Insights & Research

The Neuroscience and School-Wide Benefits of Innovative Learning Spaces

Dr. Chad LeDune explains why makerspaces and STEM labs represent a lasting shift in education, not a passing trend. Grounded in neuroscience and hands-on learning, these spaces foster problem-solving, collaboration, and the human skills AI cannot replace.
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  • Insights & Research

Investing in the Future of Learning

In Investing in the Future of Learning, Dale Dougherty challenges us to reconsider where we are placing our priorities as a society. Dougherty, founder of Make: Magazine and Maker Faire and widely regarded as the father of the modern Maker Movement, has spent decades championing hands-on learning, creativity, and human potential.
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  • Makerspaces

Building Brilliance at Jac-Cen-Del Elementary

At Jac-Cen-Del Elementary, hands-on learning comes to life in the makerspace, where students are empowered to create, collaborate, and think critically through meaningful, maker-driven experiences.
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What our partners are saying.

★★★★★
“1st Maker Space helped us get the makerspace up and running in our elementary school. They were great to work with and we look forward to continuing our partnership with them in the future.”

Jimmy Ellis
Principal at Orleans Elementary School
★★★★★
“I want to thank you so much for supporting and believing in our school. It means more than you know! I’m so happy that 1st Maker Space is expanding and giving kids from every background an opportunity to dream big and do all that they can imagine.”

Naomi Kinsey
Assistant Principal, Beveridge Elementary, Gary, IN
★★★★★
"We are so grateful to have our makerspace!"

Lindsey Stell
Middle School STEM, Elkins Middle School, Elkins, WV

Bri Wagner

Education Solution Specialist

Bri Wagner brings a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and nine years of classroom teaching experience to her role at 1st Maker Space. A former Teacher of the Year Award recipient, Bri is passionate about creating engaging, hands-on learning experiences that inspire student success. She understands the impact that innovative instruction and meaningful classroom resources can have on student achievement and is dedicated to partnering with educators to bring high-quality STEM solutions into classrooms. Bri is committed to empowering teachers and helping students develop the creativity, confidence, and problem-solving skills they need to thrive.

Email: bwagner@1stmakerspace.com