HSU Engineering Projects Support Arcata and Six Rivers High Schools

Four, low cost, aesthetic, accessible, and replicable teaching tools for conductivity experiments. [photo from the Wikipedia page on the project]

On Thursday, Dec. 19, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m., Six Rivers Charter High School and Arcata High School (1720 M St., Arcata, CA) unveiled the inspiring outdoor education renovations completed by Humboldt State University engineering students. This event celebrated beneficial partnerships between both high schools and HSU.

Four student teams from HSU instructor Lonny Grafman’s Engineering 215 class worked closely with students, teachers, and community members to improve the campus shared by both high schools by enhancing the outdoor learning environment and providing learning tools for chemistry students.

 

Transforming a dangerous broken stairway into a garden switchback trail from upcycled materials such as tires and broken concrete. [photo from Wikipedia page on the project]

Projects include the design and construction of a conductivity tester for the labs completed in Six Rivers chemistry classes, the design and implementation of a safe access path to the Six Rivers Garden, the creation of a teaching space in the garden area for landscaping and agricultural classes, the creation of an agricultural area on the hillside, and the planting of a pocket orchard.

 

Arcata High teacher Kelly Miller said, “We are excited to have a safe walking path, teaching space, and a small orchard… With the completion of the orchard, the art of pruning and grafting fruit trees can now be taught and fostered over the years.”

The work completed by HSU students marks a significant step towards the achievement of the vision laid out by Six Rivers students and teachers more than 15 years ago.

HSU engineering students have been essential in completing the basic infrastructure necessary to bring this vision to fruition. Grafman was approached three years ago to partner with the Arcata campus. Last year, his students completed stage one, which sourced more than $20,000 in supplies and support. This year students completed the transformation. HSU students, in collaboration with teachers and staff, devised innovative solutions that had long term learning benefits for the students of Six Rivers and Arcata high schools. See more at: https://www.appropedia.org/Six_Rivers_Charter_School

Students developed and built the projects in cooperation with teachers and administration from both high schools. This partnership was essential in the formulation of goals, developing criteria for each project, providing feedback on progress, and providing direct assistance. During the fall semester, HSU students worked in teams of four to develop their projects from building empathy and understanding, through ideation and prototyping, to final solution and execution.

Projects were funded through funds contributed by student teams and the partner high schools. The generosity of many local businesses and community members in terms of donations of materials, time and expertise took these projects to a much higher level.

Six Rivers Charter School Principal Ron Perry commented, “The support of local businesses and the support of the staff at Northern Humboldt were key to success of these projects.”

All projects were enhanced through donations of raw materials such as rock, plants, and soil as well as construction materials such as gabions, concrete, and lumber. Finally, the expertise provided by local experts was vital in making the transformation possible. “It is inspiring to see how community members and students can work together to build a better education now!” says Grafman.

Perry said, “The engineering teams from HSU met the real-world challenges posed by these projects. These projects have greatly enhanced our campus and will benefit Six Rivers’ students far into the future.”

Dave Navarre, principal of Arcata High, said, “What a truly collaborative experience between our campus and the HSU Engineering program. I want to thank Ron Perry and Lonny Grafman for fostering this community partnership.”

Six Rivers Charter High School emphasizes the “High Cs”, communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and community. This project is a real-life example of excellence in the execution of each of those.