Kohelet’s Fab Lab is Bringing Art to Life

The following is my story in the February 6, 2020 edition of the Philadelphia Jewish Link about the new state-of-the-art fabrication laboratory at Kohelet Yeshiva High School in Merion Station, PA:

Kohelet’s Fab Lab is Bringing Art to Life

“Art Class” has taken on a whole new meaning at Kohelet Yeshiva High School (KYHS). With its new innovative Fabrication Laboratory (Fab Lab), Kohelet now has a dedicated space for its STEM and arts programs, which is used for multi-disciplinary, project-based activities.

The Fab Lab is used for an array of projects, including woodworking and ceramics, and is equipped with a variety of equipment, such as a pottery wheel, an oversized printer, a state-of-the-art 3D printer, and a laser cutter which has the ability to cut and engrave using a number of different materials, including wood, thin metal and acrylic.

“It looks like a workspace – it is a workspace,” said Dr. Jeremy Sullivan, Director of General Studies at KYHS. “It’s not going to look polished and clean and shiny all the time. It’s going to be a place where students are going to be working.”

Sullivan noted that ninth and tenth graders at Kohelet are required to take art, and eleventh and twelfth graders can take electives and continue their studies in art. “There’s also an elective called Fab Lab Club, which enables students who are more focused on the tech-aided programs and devices to take an additional class,” he added. “There is a real range of what students can create and build.”

In addition, ninth and tenth graders also have computer coding classes, and that helps give them the confidence to try some of the more advanced software in the Fab Lab.

The Fab Lab is run under the auspices of KYHS art teacher Daniel Ostrov. “Mr. O,” as he is affectionately known to his students, has a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art and History from Tulane University and a Master of Fine Arts in Glass from Tyler School of Art, and has extensive experience working with glass, wood, metal, and ceramics.

“Mr. O is an amazing resource for us in his own right,” Sullivan said. “It helps to have somebody who is enthusiastic about encouraging students in the room, where the students who come into the room frequently say, ‘Mr. O, I want to do this, how do I do it?’”

Sullivan highlighted the collaborative aspect of the Fab Lab, in that when a student comes in and says, “I want to do this myself,” and Ostrov is not quite sure how to do it himself, they work together to figure it out. “When the students demonstrate that willingness to say I want to try and figure this out, then we have the facility for them to take it as far as they want to go,” Sullivan said.

“I have liked building for as long as I can remember but have not had access to the right skills and materials to express myself in this way,” said KYHS senior Boaz Crammer. “However, this changed when I came to the Fab Lab at Kohelet. Here, I was taught by Mr. O, the talented art teacher, to use devices such as the band saw and drill press. This has now given me the chance to build to my heart’s content.”

Sullivan and Ostrov noted that the Fab Lab can be used in many ways, including creating posters, making 3D items that can be used throughout the school building, and desktop publishing. Ostrov added that he is thinking about working on projects in the Fab Lab that use two-dimensional cut-out forms to create three-dimensional shapes. In addition, Ostrov said that Kohelet is hoping to be able to offer some continuing education for the community in the Fab Lab.

Dr. Sullivan stressed the vital role that student input has in the operational aspects of the Fab Lab. “Some of the things we’ve done have arisen by necessity in student needs,” he said. Sullivan cited the robotics team that Kohelet had last year. They needed a particular piece for the robot they were constructing and one of the students stood up and said that he could make the necessary piece using the 3D printer. The student manufactured pieces that the robotics team then used for their robot.

“As an educator, I like the idea of a laboratory,” said Sullivan. “It’s a laboratory of manufacturing, a laboratory of art, a laboratory of tech. What goes on in there comes from the people who bring their interest and bring their ingenuity into the room. We have the tools and the equipment at the ready, and I imagine that three or four years from now, the students themselves will turn this into a different facility based on their interests.”

“After taking a summer course on 3D printing in the summer of my sophomore year, I returned to Kohelet with a yearning to continue my learning and share my passion with my peers,” said KYHS senior Jared Matlis. “Thankfully, my teachers were excited to help me achieve my goal.  After talking with the IT staff, I worked with them to establish the “3D Printing and Modeling Club,” where I taught my peers, while fixing the old 3D Printer we had. Although the printer broke near the end of the year, the school quickly bought a replacement for me to use. During my senior year, Kohelet gave me an official position within our new Fab Lab, where I had complete freedom regarding the 3D printers and time to teach students. Without the constant support of the school, I would not have been able to improve as much as I have and achieve what I have.”

Sullivan and Ostrov are working to explore additional ways to bring a cross-curricular component into the Fab Lab, where the STEM activities can be further integrated into general and Judaic studies classes, whereby students will be able to engage in project-based, experiential learning, such as building an Aron Kodesh or a sukkah.

“Our school day is long, and our academics are intense, and so this is a great way for students to exercise a part of their brain that’s not being exercised the rest of the day,” Sullivan said. “This creative outlet is such a great way for kids to mentally flex a part of their brain muscle that isn’t always being exercised.”