Dream it. Design it. 
Make it.
Students imagine and build, engineer and design, prototype and make. The challenges of trial and error lead to the joy of creation in Marymount’s Fab Lab and other design spaces. Through active, hands-on learning, students get their hands dirty in the pursuit of knowledge. Using 3D scanners and printers, laser cutters, soldering irons, Arduino microcontrollers, sewing machines, and drills, students creatively apply their ideas to physical constructs. What will YOU make at Marymount?

Invention Convention

During their study of inventions, Class II students work in pairs to identify a real-world problem and to brainstorm ideas for a new invention to solve it. Each team uses the Mophie App on the iPad, littleBits electronic modules, and the MakerBot 3D printer to design and build a working prototype. The process involves troubleshooting problems and revising the original design to overcome unanticipated obstacles along the way. Each team presents their inventions to their parents and produces a short commercial on the iPad.

Cardboard Arcade

Each year, Class III hosts the Marymount Cardboard Arcade. After watching "Caine's Arcade" and learning about the Imagination Foundation's Annual Day of Play, students are challenged to design and build an arcade game out of cardboard. Students learn about simple machines in science and cardboard engineering techniques in STEAM class, and are encouraged to draw on their knowledge of both when designing their games.

Nerdy Derby

After its debut at the 2012 Maker Faire, the Nerdy Derby has become an annual event at Marymount's Upper Middle School. Every June, Class VI students conduct experiments to determine the forces and variables that affect the speed of a vehicle on a wooden, 9-foot tall, 45-foot long undulating track. After these initial activities, pairs of students are tasked with designing their own cars to compete in a series of Nerdy Derby competitions. In order to test their vehicle on the track, students complete trial slips to detail change and improvements to their vehicles.

Met Project

Class IX students choose works of art from The Met and develops a project inspired by her chosen artwork. Rather than simply recreate their objects, students are asked to reimagine and re-contextualize these pieces while always building on the meaning of the original. Students create clothing, videos, animations, paintings, sculptures, musical compositions, and interactive devices to share in an exhibition. The students' innovation and interactive interpretations help viewers engage with the works on view at The Met in a whole new way.