Colfax 5th graders present 3D printer key chains to Board of Education
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3D PRINTER ENTHUSIASTS — Students in Tristan Kittilson’s fifth grade class at Colfax Elementary visited the Colfax Board of Education at the September 19 meeting to show off what they have made with their brand new 3D printer. Front row (from left): Ben Charbonneau, Jack Whitwam, Arianna York, Nora Scharlau. Second row (from left): Karter Field, Connor Graf, Alice Burgraff, Emma Sundstrom, London Wirth and Mr. Kittilson. Colfax Board of Education first row (from left): Todd Kragness, Andrew De Moe, Ken Neuburg. Second row (from left): Jaclyn Ackerlund, Jodi Kiekhafer, Ken Bjork, Kyle Knutson, William C. Yingst Jr. (district administrator). —photo courtesy of Polly Rudi.
By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — Tristan Kittilson’s fifth graders are excited — they’ve got a 3D printer!
Kittilson told the Colfax Board of Education at the September 19 meeting that over the summer, he had asked Trevor Hovde, Colfax Elementary principal, and William C. Yingst Jr., superintendent, if a 3D printer could be purchased for Kittilson’s fifth grade classroom.
“I’m pretty passionate about AutoCAD engineering and technology, and seeing what we have in the middle school and high school, I thought (a 3D printer) would be a good segue into that. And I found this (printer) on my desk when I got back,” he said.
Kittilson said he is enthused about the possibilities of the 3D printer and that he has had sixth grade boys stop by his classroom — formerly Kittilson’s fifth grade students — who were “pretty jealous.”
Kittilson brought the 3D printer to the school board meeting.
He also brought some of his students so they could show the Board of Education what they had made.
“I think 15 of my 16 fifth graders wanted to be here tonight, but we have nine of them here,” he said.
A free educational program is available called Tinkercad that Kittilson said he has used for several years that is a good introduction to AutoCAD engineering.
“You can design, create and build really cool things and (the 3D) printer can bring it to life,” he said.
One of the items made by the 3D printer that Kittilson brought to the school board meeting is what he calls “Mr. Kittilson’s lost and found for pencils.”
The 3D printer took 23 hours to build the the sizable pencil holder.
Kittilson’s fifth grade students also made a Viking ship as well as another pencil holder.
The smaller pencil holder is a practical item that students can make for their desks, he said.
The students made key chains as well with the One TEAM (Together Everyone Accomplishes More) theme for the Board of Education.
The Colfax school district has implemented the TEAM theme this year as a way to help build positive relationships among students, faculty and staff.
The fifth graders handed out the key chains they had made for the school board. Each key chain also included the board member’s name.
“I usually start with the key chain every year,” Kittilson noted, adding that the fifth graders also made key chains for themselves with the One TEAM theme, their names, Colfax Elementary and one item that is symbolic for them as individuals.
One student chose a saxophone, for example, and another chose a basketball, he said.
“There are some cool mathematics that go into it as well. We’re just starting to scratch the surface here at the beginning of the school year,” Kittilson said.
“We will have some other challenges, too, and maybe later on in the year, we can come back and show off what we do,” he said.
At parent-teacher conferences, parents come into his classroom and say, “hey, we use one of those at work,” Kittilson said.
The 3D printer also creates “an excitement buzz for students” and is “a piece of cool technology that can bring their ideas to life,” he said.
“And are you anticipating a larger CAD department in high school in three or four years, now that you’ve piqued everybody’s interest?” asked Jacklyn Ackerlund, school board member.
“I might be guilty,” Kittilson replied with a laugh.
“There are definitely a lot of engineers … just the other day, I had a sixth grader send me a motor. He is designing and building a car. I’m turning down projects right now. We may need to ‘up’ it as we go along,” he said.
Later on in the meeting, Hovde pointed out that 3D printers can have real-world practical applications.
When he checked into ordering a replacement piece for something at the elementary school, he found out the small piece of plastic would cost nearly $400.
With Yingst’s permission, Hovde asked Jamie Buchholtz high school technology education teacher, if he would be able to make the part using the department’s 3D printer.
Buchholtz could and did make the part — and used $8 worth of plastic.