Caldera High School’s Makerspace Lab receives SELCO Credit Union’s $15,000 ‘Classroom Makeover’ grant

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Makerspace Lab at Caldera High School in Bend is one of three statewide recipients of SELCO Community Credit Union’s regional Classroom Makeover program.

The three winners—one each from Central and Eastern Oregon, Northwestern Oregon, and Southwestern Oregon—will receive as much as $15,000 apiece to transform their learning spaces.

Selected from a public online vote of nine finalists statewide, the Makerspace Lab is a manufacturing hub for Caldera’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.

Students use the Makerspace Lab to “develop their skills and expand their knowledge in engineering and manufacturing through project-based learning,” wrote Gavin Meyers — Caldera’s engineering, architecture, and graphic design teacher — in his Classroom Makeover application.

“Our vision is to provide students access to industry-identified tools and technology, as well as a space to design and create, all while learning important concepts and skills that will serve them in industry, employment, and life,” he added.

SELCO presented the grant to Meyers and the Makerspace Lab on Friday, Dec. 13, at Caldera High. For images and video of the presentation, CLICK HERE.

The Classroom Makeover program is part of the SELCO Steps Up initiative that launched earlier this year. One of the key goals for SELCO Steps Up is to introduce new programs in response to the changing community needs. One such need was additional financial support for educators, who often dip into their pockets each school year to make even modest classroom improvements.

For this program, SELCO defined “Classroom” as any school learning space, including traditional classrooms, libraries, gymnasiums, and outdoor spaces.

The response from educators underscored this need, with applications arriving from across the state for a wide array of project ideas.

Caldera’s Makerspace Lab is one of three statewide recipients of SELCO’s Classroom Makeover grants, including:

• Northwestern Oregon: $11,700 to transform a music classroom at Jefferson Elementary School in Jefferson, adding seats, risers, and performing stages for everyday learning and special performances. Submitted by Kevin Lake.
• Southwestern Oregon: $15,000 to create an inclusive playground at Prairie Mountain School in Eugene, with many types of accessible play equipment for every child. Submitted by Amanda Zacharek.

“SELCO is committed to supporting transformative classroom experiences, and these makeovers will create accessible and inclusive learning spaces that will inspire a generation of students,” said Olivia Sorensen, Senior Community Development Specialist for SELCO. “We are thrilled with the results of the inaugural year of this program and hope these makeovers galvanize even more educators to share their classroom visions.”

Caldera’s original vision for the Makerspace Lab included three Central Oregon-oriented learning labs: metal fabrication, ski/snowboard design and manufacturing, and bicycle maintenance and repair. But because of budget shortfalls, only the metal fabrication lab was fully completed, Meyers said.

The $15,000 in Classroom Makeover grant funding will be used to complete the school’s ski and snowboard design and manufacturing learning lab, including electrical work, the purchase of new tools, and the building of storage solutions for the materials used to make skis and snowboards. The Classroom Makeover funding will also go toward the Makerspace Lab’s bike repair and maintenance shop, including new storage solutions, industry-quality equipment and tooling, and power and compressed air tie-in modifications.

“The mission of our CTE department is to develop citizens with the necessary skills, attitudes, and tools to be successful and be positive contributors to our communities,” Meyers wrote in his application. “With the support of this grant, we will be one step closer to achieving our goal.”

CLICK HERE for more information about the inaugural winners of SELCO Steps Up Classroom Makeovers. For more information about SELCO Steps Up student and educator support programs, visit www.selco.org/steps-up/student-and-educator-support/.

About SELCO Steps Up:

The SELCO Steps Up program aims to create positive, innovative, lasting change through volunteerism, resource support, and collaboration with community partners. SELCO will reinvest more than $400,000 in the communities it serves by the end of 2024 through educator grants, scholarships, and impact-driven sponsorships. SELCO staff has also committed more than 1,300 volunteer hours so far in 2024. As a credit union founded by teachers, education is a cornerstone of these efforts, with a focus on removing barriers to financial literacy. By empowering individuals and families to achieve financial well-being, SELCO strives to build a strong foundation for all its members and neighbors. Learn more at www.selco.org/steps-up.

About SELCO Community Credit Union: Founded nearly 90 years ago by a group of fiscally minded teachers, Springfield-based SELCO Community Credit Union today serves more than 150,000 members as one of the largest and longest-standing Oregon-based credit unions. A not-for-profit, federally insured, member-driven financial cooperative with more than $2.7 billion in assets, SELCO provides its member-owners with exceptional rates and low fees on a full range of financial products and services, including banking, mortgages, personal and business loans, investments, and insurance. Membership is available to anyone who lives or works in one of the 27 Oregon or eight Washington counties SELCO serves. For more information or to become a member today, stop by one of SELCO’s 15 branches, visit selco.org, or call 800-445-4483.