Dawson Design Company: Empowering Student Entrepreneurs with Rich Lehrer and Students
This episode features a special live recording from the ATLIS Annual Conference with Rich Lehr and the student members of the award-winning Dawson Design Company. Listen in as these seventh and eighth graders discuss how they are using technology to learn about design, fabrication, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy for real-world clients.
- The Alexander Dawson School: https://www.dawsonschool.org/
- Tyler Robinson Foundation: https://www.trf.org/
- Georgia Tech: https://www.gatech.edu/
- Montclair Kimberley Academy: https://www.mka.org/
- St. Christopher's School: https://www.stchristophers.com/
Transcript
Peter Frank:
Ed, welcome to Talking technology with Atlas,
Peter Frank:
the show that plugs you into the important topics and trends for
Peter Frank:
technology leaders all through a unique Independent School lens.
Peter Frank:
We'll hear stories from technology directors and other
Peter Frank:
special guests from the Independent School community,
Peter Frank:
and provide you with focused learning and deep dive topics.
Peter Frank:
And now please welcome your host, Kristina llewellen,
Christina Lewellen:
hello everyone, and welcome back to
Christina Lewellen:
talking technology with Atlas. I'm Kristina llewellen, the
Christina Lewellen:
president and CEO of the Association of technology
Christina Lewellen:
leaders in independent schools,
Bill Stites:
and I'm Bill Stites, the Director of
Bill Stites:
Technology at Montclair Kimberly Academy in Montclair, New
Bill Stites:
Jersey, and I'm
Hiram Cuevas:
Hiram Cuevas, the Director of Information Systems
Hiram Cuevas:
and Academic Technology at St Christopher school in Richmond,
Hiram Cuevas:
Virginia. All
Christina Lewellen:
right, guys. So here we are once again, and
Christina Lewellen:
we are recording a little intro to go with one of our very
Christina Lewellen:
special episodes, featuring a really incredible and memorable
Christina Lewellen:
podcast that we recorded live on stage in Atlanta. And I know,
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Bill, you weren't with us because you had a lot of other
Christina Lewellen:
presenting duties at the Atlas conference. So Hiram and I were
Christina Lewellen:
able to pop on the general stage and do this interview. You were
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not with us. So just to make sure that you're not feeling
Christina Lewellen:
left out, I decided to come in and ask you guys a question.
Christina Lewellen:
Thinking back to your time at the 10th Anniversary Celebration
Christina Lewellen:
in Atlanta, is there anything that you can think of that you
Christina Lewellen:
would any kind of conference traditions, or anything you
Christina Lewellen:
experienced in Atlas this year that should be a keeper,
Christina Lewellen:
anything that we should be sure to revisit as we plan for next
Christina Lewellen:
year's conference?
Bill Stites:
I was not involved with this. So to say it should
Bill Stites:
be kept is purely on what I have heard, but what I would say is
Bill Stites:
the AOI reunion. I have heard so much from Aoi participants about
Bill Stites:
the way in which they've remained connected with their
Bill Stites:
cohorts, the way in which they look forward to getting back
Bill Stites:
together, the fact that they would put together presentations
Bill Stites:
at the conference together, and that they would go out together.
Bill Stites:
They would do things together. It really struck me that the way
Bill Stites:
in which that group has come together and stayed together is
Bill Stites:
something that if you're going to do those types of like last
Bill Stites:
day events or, you know, whatever it is around the Al to
Bill Stites:
keep those things going, because I think that as we look to the
Bill Stites:
future, whether it's future board members at Atlas, these
Bill Stites:
are the future tech leaders that are there, they're going to be
Bill Stites:
developing those connections, those long standing connections,
Bill Stites:
that are going to be able to support them in the later parts
Bill Stites:
of their career that I just think we need to keep an eye on
Bill Stites:
and maintain and having nothing to do with it. You know, it's
Bill Stites:
something that I think just needs to stick around and needs
Bill Stites:
to make sure that it doesn't go away. But on a personal note, I
Bill Stites:
think whatever conference venue we have, we need to always make
Bill Stites:
sure that we've got a good evening gathering spot that may
Bill Stites:
serve libations, that is easily accessible and has enough room
Bill Stites:
for everyone to come back to, I think, is always helpful. Is
Bill Stites:
always good, because I think after a long day of doing what
Bill Stites:
we're doing, we still find time to come together in those later
Bill Stites:
hours and keep the work going into the later hours.
Christina Lewellen:
Yeah, we can never get you guys out of the
Christina Lewellen:
room. I mean, like, no. Every time we have a pre con meeting
Christina Lewellen:
with the hotel, we warn them, most people will, like, dip out
Christina Lewellen:
of the reception before it's even done. Nope. Not our people.
Christina Lewellen:
You guys stay until we kick you out. There is nobody leaving you
Christina Lewellen:
like hanging out with each other 100%
Hiram Cuevas:
and I would say, for me, the I think this was the
Hiram Cuevas:
first introduction of students to the Atlas conference, and I
Hiram Cuevas:
would love to see students continue to be present at the
Hiram Cuevas:
Atlas conference, because they truly are telling us what the
Hiram Cuevas:
future holds, because they are at the forefront. I've learned
Hiram Cuevas:
so much, and this is actually a bit of a prelude to this podcast
Hiram Cuevas:
that we are introducing to you all. This group of students is
Hiram Cuevas:
unreal. They are truly unreal in terms of what they're able to
Hiram Cuevas:
share with us. Yeah,
Christina Lewellen:
that is a great intro and setup for this
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conversation that our listeners are about to hear, because we
Christina Lewellen:
had seventh and eighth graders all stacked up in chairs on the
Christina Lewellen:
general main stage from the Alexander Dawson school. And
Christina Lewellen:
these kids represented what they call the Dawson design company.
Christina Lewellen:
And so this program won the Aspire visionary Excellence
Christina Lewellen:
Award this year, which is a new awards program that we do at
Christina Lewellen:
Atlas. And it was very clear to me and Hiram why these kids were
Christina Lewellen:
recognized. So they are led by rich layer, which he's the
Christina Lewellen:
Director of Academic Innovation and Design at the. Alexander
Christina Lewellen:
Dawson school, and the idea of this program is that it blends
Christina Lewellen:
digital design, fabrication, entrepreneurship and also
Christina Lewellen:
philanthropy, which really empowers these kids to create
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like market ready products, while also raising funds for
Christina Lewellen:
things that need to happen in their communities. So since this
Christina Lewellen:
program launched in the summer, August of 23 the students in
Christina Lewellen:
this program have raised more than $10,000 for various
Christina Lewellen:
organizations. And so the idea is that they run the Dawson
Christina Lewellen:
design company like a business, and they think about things like
Christina Lewellen:
technology for good, and they're trying to help with marketing.
Christina Lewellen:
So the students kind of are empowered to not only learn
Christina Lewellen:
about business fundamentals, technology fundamentals, and
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they manufacture things, but then they sort of take these
Christina Lewellen:
design challenges and solve for them, and they go to the market
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with the solutions, and hopefully whatever they possibly
Christina Lewellen:
raise is dedicated to philanthropic causes for real
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world clients. So it was such an honor to speak with them. And
Christina Lewellen:
once again, we're blown away by how the kids on stage, seventh
Christina Lewellen:
and eighth graders, held the mic right like you'll hear from Rich
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a little bit as their academic leader and supervisor, their
Christina Lewellen:
teacher, but I think that for the most part, he just let the
Christina Lewellen:
kids talk about the program and why they were recognized. And so
Christina Lewellen:
Hiram and I, for me anyway, it was one of the highlights of the
Christina Lewellen:
conference, and Hiram and I had such a really robust and
Christina Lewellen:
engaging conversation with a gaggle of middle schoolers right
Christina Lewellen:
up your alley, huh?
Hiram Cuevas:
Absolutely. And perhaps the most interesting
Hiram Cuevas:
aspect about this course, it's not a one and done course, yeah,
Hiram Cuevas:
you're right. We've got several of those students actually took
Hiram Cuevas:
the course multiple times, and as a result, their leadership
Hiram Cuevas:
roles within the course increased, and so they truly
Hiram Cuevas:
were getting that firsthand experience of what it was like
Hiram Cuevas:
to run a business and what it was like to be at the forefront
Hiram Cuevas:
of that organization. And so you all are in for a real treat.
Christina Lewellen:
Yeah, absolutely, we're gonna let this
Christina Lewellen:
conversation unfold. But I am so grateful that we recorded it and
Christina Lewellen:
that we captured it so that we can share it with an audience
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far beyond those who were with us in Atlanta. So I hope you
Christina Lewellen:
guys all enjoy. We are joining our podcast listeners live from
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the stage in Atlanta, Georgia at our 10th Anniversary annual
Christina Lewellen:
conference. And I'm really excited, because I don't think
Christina Lewellen:
we have ever had this many guests on our podcast at one
Christina Lewellen:
time before.
Hiram Cuevas:
No, we haven't. And then the energy surrounding
Hiram Cuevas:
middle school students is awesome. I love Middle School.
Hiram Cuevas:
Taught middle school for 15 years. Love it.
Christina Lewellen:
I'm gonna ask you guys to just give me
Christina Lewellen:
your first name and what grade you're in, but then I'm gonna
Christina Lewellen:
also see if anyone can guess what Hiram taught when he was a
Christina Lewellen:
middle school teacher. That's gonna be the guest at the end of
Christina Lewellen:
the podcast. Okay, all right, so we'll start down here at the
Christina Lewellen:
end. Tell me your name and what grade are you
Gracie:
in. My name is Gracie, and I'm in eighth grade. Hi,
Gracie:
Gracie.
Boston:
My name is Boston, and I'm seventh grade. My
Jacob:
name is Jacob, and I'm also in seventh
Ida:
grade. My name's Ed and I'm in eighth grade. My
Gunner:
name is gunner, and I'm in eighth grade.
Elliott:
My name is Elliot and I'm also in eighth grade.
Max:
My name is Max and I'm in eighth grade. Hi, I'm
Walker:
Walker eighth grade. Awesome.
Christina Lewellen:
Thank you guys for joining us, and let's
Christina Lewellen:
take a moment rich. Let's have you also introduce yourself.
Christina Lewellen:
Where are you from and why in the world are you here on the
Christina Lewellen:
stage with all these brilliant children?
Rich Lehr:
Great thank you. Kristina, so my name is Rich
Rich Lehr:
Lehr. I am the Director of Academic Innovation and Design
Rich Lehr:
at the Alexander Dawson school in Las Vegas, Nevada. I'm
Rich Lehr:
originally from Saskatchewan, Canada, and we are here on the
Rich Lehr:
stage with you because we had the great fortune of winning an
Rich Lehr:
atlas Aspire award for visionary excellence.
Christina Lewellen:
You sure did. Now this is a brand new
Christina Lewellen:
program that Atlas introduced this year, and the idea was that
Christina Lewellen:
we've had the pillar awards for some time. We have programmatic
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accomplishments that we celebrate at Atlas, such as
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folks graduating from the Atlas Leadership Institute or
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obtaining their technology leader in independent school
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certification. But we hadn't really come up with a plan to
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recognize cool programs, innovative things that are
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happening in our space. So not only are you the winner of the
Christina Lewellen:
Aspire award for visionary excellence, but also you're the
Christina Lewellen:
inaugural winner of it, we're really excited. The reason that
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you're here is because the Dawson design company, which is
Christina Lewellen:
a seventh and eighth grade design technology elective at
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the Alexander Dawson school, was basically recognized for its
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groundbreaking approach to technology and how you integrate
Christina Lewellen:
that with your education at your school. So tell everybody just a
Christina Lewellen:
little bit about the program and where did it come from?
Unknown:
So all of us are part of a class called Dawson design
Unknown:
company, and this is a class that focuses on
Unknown:
entrepreneurship, innovation, design, giving back to the
Unknown:
community.
Christina Lewellen:
I love it. And what are some of the
Christina Lewellen:
projects that you. Guys have worked on anybody can answer.
Christina Lewellen:
You guys can kind of just grab the
Unknown:
mic. So a lot of time we work on, like, themed designs
Unknown:
for certain seasons or events. So for example, we had a fall
Unknown:
festival, which is basically just a carnival that our school
Unknown:
puts on, and we had a booth there. So we spent a couple
Unknown:
months designing, like fall and Halloween themed designs. It was
Unknown:
really
Unknown:
cool, awesome. We also had a pet project where we made
Unknown:
personalized pet project products for students at the
Unknown:
school.
Christina Lewellen:
That's really cool.
Max:
We also do, like what they say, personalized projects.
Max:
Sometimes we'll get orders from parents and different
Max:
organizations like the Tyler Robinson foundation where they
Max:
need stickers or key chains made. We do that a lot, so
Christina Lewellen:
it sounds rich like this program is pretty
Christina Lewellen:
responsive to needs within your school community. Is that why it
Christina Lewellen:
was designed? Where did this come from?
Rich Lehr:
So this is actually an extension of some of the
Rich Lehr:
other classes that we have at Dawson that are really looking
Rich Lehr:
for ways to have students engage in technology and technology
Rich Lehr:
education through super authentic experiences, as well
Rich Lehr:
as learning that feels meaningful and purposeful to
Rich Lehr:
them. And so essentially, we've been doing this sort of work for
Rich Lehr:
a couple of years at Dawson. And previous to my arrival at
Rich Lehr:
Dawson, we've really been looking at ways that kids can
Rich Lehr:
just have very authentic experiences with technology. I
Rich Lehr:
had another class called Tech for Good, and some students were
Rich Lehr:
just making some things that looked really nice, some laser
Rich Lehr:
cut items. And all of a sudden people were coming into our
Rich Lehr:
classroom and saying, Oh, I would pay money for that. And I
Rich Lehr:
think that's sort of the game changer, is all of a sudden kids
Rich Lehr:
have access to technology that allows them to do work on par
Rich Lehr:
with adults or professionals. And after we heard that, enough
Rich Lehr:
people would say, I would I would like to buy that, then we
Rich Lehr:
realized, Oh, we could actually create a class around the idea
Rich Lehr:
of kids running the class essentially like a little
Rich Lehr:
business, and so that's why we called it the Dawson design
Rich Lehr:
company. We're not an incorporated business by any
Rich Lehr:
stretch of the imagination, but we run our class like a
Rich Lehr:
business. The kids find markets for the things that we can make.
Rich Lehr:
They advertise it. Sometimes they just create inventory to
Rich Lehr:
sell, but other times they take on customized orders. And then a
Rich Lehr:
key part of this is that at the beginning of the semester,
Rich Lehr:
students identify an organization that would benefit
Rich Lehr:
from our support, our financial support, and then once we've
Rich Lehr:
decided on that organization, all profits go to the
Rich Lehr:
organization that
Christina Lewellen:
select. So you're giving back to community
Christina Lewellen:
too. That's pretty cool. So what are some of the things that you
Christina Lewellen:
guys have learned? It sounds like when you talk about, like,
Christina Lewellen:
basically running a little business, it's not just about
Christina Lewellen:
making something, it's also about selling it and managing
Christina Lewellen:
supplies and inventory and all that fun stuff too, right? So
Christina Lewellen:
what are some of the cooler things that you've learned that
Christina Lewellen:
you didn't necessarily expect to learn?
Unknown:
So one of the things that I did not expect to learn.
Unknown:
But I definitely learned is, like you said earlier,
Unknown:
marketing, like marketing products, and figuring out
Unknown:
different events too, like actually sell the products, was
Unknown:
a lot more challenging than it might sound, especially when
Unknown:
this is our second year running the class. So it's getting a
Unknown:
little dry, selling the same products over and over again, so
Unknown:
we have to broaden our horizons and find new ideas. But
Unknown:
definitely, the marketing side is something I find really
Unknown:
interesting, and did not expect to be as challenging as it is.
Unknown:
Sounds
Hiram Cuevas:
like we have a budding
Christina Lewellen:
I know marketing, that's right. I
Unknown:
think that we also learn a lot about like,
Unknown:
commitments and everything, because, I mean, we had a sale a
Unknown:
couple months ago for to raise money for the flyers in
Unknown:
California, and that was, like, on two weeks notice. So we had
Unknown:
to pump out a ton of, like, special designs for that within
Unknown:
two weeks. So, like, just actually, like making that not
Unknown:
necessarily sacrifice, but putting in the extra work, like,
Unknown:
maybe come in late and work like I was gluing an hour before the
Unknown:
event. Like, so, just so, just like honoring that commitment
Unknown:
and really like being passionate about what you're doing, is
Christina Lewellen:
something that I've learned, yeah,
Christina Lewellen:
sometimes there's some time pressures on that. That's cool.
Christina Lewellen:
Anybody else want to tell me a little bit about what you
Christina Lewellen:
learned?
Hiram Cuevas:
Anybody here budding CFO,
Gunner:
I learned, like before I took Dawson design company, I
Gunner:
definitely didn't know how to design or print anything. But
Gunner:
when I got there, they taught me about how to design stickers and
Gunner:
heat presses to put on T shirts and laser cuts all like that. So
Gunner:
it was just definitely a great experience, and I definitely
Gunner:
didn't expect to learn any of that.
Christina Lewellen:
That's awesome. How about Walker?
Walker:
I learned something that I didn't really know was a very
Walker:
big issue until I was in the class during my first sale
Walker:
opportunity, the Fall Festival. I was a little nervous about
Walker:
talking to people walking by and trying to actually sell things,
Walker:
yeah, but Mr. Lair came up to me, and he said, Walker, I want
Walker:
you to stand here all day and talk to people. So I was forced
Walker:
to get out of my comfort zone, and the Dawson design company
Walker:
has really helped me to do that. And even earlier, while giving
Walker:
our presentation. I was nervous to get on to the stage and talk
Walker:
about our slide show, but I did it, and I think it's really
Walker:
worth it.
Christina Lewellen:
That's great. Even being up here on
Christina Lewellen:
this stage has got to be a little intimidating. But you
Christina Lewellen:
know what, the way that I think about it, whenever I present, or
Christina Lewellen:
even have to, like yesterday, sing in front of a huge crowd of
Christina Lewellen:
people, is I always just kind of think they want me to do well.
Christina Lewellen:
They don't want me to fall on my face or or mess up, right? So
Christina Lewellen:
same, like when you give a presentation or when you're
Christina Lewellen:
trying to sell something, they want you to do well. So even if
Christina Lewellen:
it's a stranger, that's kind of what I think about. That's
Christina Lewellen:
really cool. So this is an elective class for you guys,
Christina Lewellen:
right? Like, you could be doing any other number of things, and
Christina Lewellen:
what I'm sure is an incredible school. So can you guys tell me
Christina Lewellen:
why you decided to do this class? Well,
Unknown:
for me, it was kind of a complicated story, but the end
Unknown:
of it is I knew how to design for it because I'd taken classes
Unknown:
with Mr. Le for and learned how to design. And I really like
Unknown:
that, and I've always had this spark for entrepreneurship, so
Unknown:
put the two together, and Dawson design company was the perfect
Unknown:
class for me. Sounds like it. I didn't initially join it in the
Unknown:
beginning, but because I decided to go for coding class instead,
Unknown:
since I also have an affinity for coding. But Mr. Laird told
Unknown:
me that there was a spot that opened up and I took the
Unknown:
opportunity and switched electives.
Christina Lewellen:
Love it. Good for you.
Unknown:
For me, when we were first putting in our elective
Unknown:
form for signing up for classes, I just learned that Dawson had a
Unknown:
design lab. So it seemed like Dawson design committee was an
Unknown:
interesting class, so I decided to choose it along with where
Unknown:
it's it's, which is another class at Dawson.
Max:
One of the reasons I wanted to join the Dawson design
Max:
company is because I want to be an entrepreneur when I'm older,
Max:
and so it seemed mostly like an entrepreneurship class, but also
Max:
getting the teamwork skills to be able to work with others was
Max:
really helpful. Great point.
Unknown:
Yeah, kind of similar to Boston. I mean, I just like,
Unknown:
I've always been kind of fascinated by businesses and
Unknown:
entrepreneurship and like, the hardships, but also the
Unknown:
triumphs, so I thought that'd be cool to experience and also just
Unknown:
grow my skills from like, because I've always done, like,
Unknown:
personal designs, but to actually work on client based
Unknown:
learning and everything like that was fun. And also just a
Unknown:
little more of a random comment. But I think that because it's an
Unknown:
elective class, and because everybody here like chooses to
Unknown:
do it, it makes everybody so much more like into it, and it
Unknown:
really makes it like a special environment. It's great
Gunner:
point. I joined the Dawson design company because,
Gunner:
well, I initially didn't join it at the start. And my next
Gunner:
semester, I was thinking of electives to choose, and I just
Gunner:
didn't know which ones to pick. And I remembered that I've heard
Gunner:
great feedback from that class, and I heard that'd be pretty
Gunner:
fun, so I just wanted to try it out, and it ended up being a
Gunner:
great elective for me.
Rich Lehr:
Awesome. Kristina was just gonna mention something. So
Rich Lehr:
we purposefully allow students to take the class multiple
Rich Lehr:
times. As you mentioned, it's a semester long class, and it's
Rich Lehr:
offered to seventh and eighth graders. So conceivably,
Rich Lehr:
students could take this four times. And I believe Ed has
Rich Lehr:
taken the class four times, others three times. In fact,
Rich Lehr:
everybody on the stage has taken the class at least twice. We
Rich Lehr:
have a whole group of students who have only taken it once, but
Rich Lehr:
we decided to use these students who have taken it multiple times
Rich Lehr:
as representatives. We're very intentional with students who
Rich Lehr:
take it the first time. We call them our novice designers, and
Rich Lehr:
so they're just learning the basics of digital design and
Rich Lehr:
fabrication. But by time the student is taking it for a
Rich Lehr:
second time, we call them our advanced designers, and they
Rich Lehr:
then take on a leadership role in the Dawson design company, so
Rich Lehr:
they may be leading certain projects. So as a project lead,
Rich Lehr:
they learn to become independent users of the fabrication
Rich Lehr:
technology. So these guys can all run the laser cutters by
Rich Lehr:
themselves and 3d printers and our vinyl cutters. And that's a
Rich Lehr:
really critical part of this, that we're not just trying to
Rich Lehr:
teach tech skills and entrepreneurship skills, but
Rich Lehr:
we're also trying to engender leadership skills in there as
Rich Lehr:
well. So it's kind of a multi headed class. So
Hiram Cuevas:
have any of you started to create your own side
Hiram Cuevas:
hustles? Yet they're
Christina Lewellen:
not going to tell you. They haven't gotten
Christina Lewellen:
the paperwork to protect it.
Unknown:
I have my own business, kind of good. I am a
Unknown:
photographer, and I have my own website. I try, have not
Unknown:
succeeded very much yet to sell my photos, and I feel like this
Unknown:
class has really helped somehow. It's kind
Christina Lewellen:
of like laying the groundwork, right?
Christina Lewellen:
Yeah, 100% so now you guys came out here because you are
Christina Lewellen:
recognized with the Aspire award. It was really cool if
Christina Lewellen:
your teacher decide to bring all of you out, rather than just
Christina Lewellen:
come out here by himself and grab the award and bring it back
Christina Lewellen:
to you. So you've traveled all the way from Las Vegas. We are
Christina Lewellen:
now in Atlanta, and so tell me about some of the things that
Christina Lewellen:
you've done while you've been here. So you certainly you came
Christina Lewellen:
up on the stage and you got recognized for your award, for
Christina Lewellen:
your program. You also did a presentation here. Here at the
Christina Lewellen:
conference. How'd that go? Other than Walker, was a little
Christina Lewellen:
nervous. Anybody else nervous to present in front of a bunch of
Rich Lehr:
adults? Gracie, how did the presentation go?
Gracie:
Well, I was a bit nervous about it, especially
Gracie:
when I heard, like, couple months ago, like, Oh, you're
Gracie:
gonna be presenting to people. I'm like, Oh God,
Christina Lewellen:
a bunch of technology leaders who want to
Christina Lewellen:
get good ideas for their schools. Because
Gracie:
I only been here two times, I wasn't expecting to,
Gracie:
like, win an award. It was, it was also during lunch, so it was
Gracie:
really unexpected at the time, but as soon as I got on stage, I
Gracie:
was a little bit more comfortable speaking.
Christina Lewellen:
Awesome. There you go. So what else did
Christina Lewellen:
you guys do while you were here? We
Unknown:
went to two schools while we were here. We went to
Unknown:
Mount Vernon and Georgia Tech, and then we saw their design
Unknown:
spaces.
Christina Lewellen:
Did you get any good ideas? What would you
Christina Lewellen:
wave a magic wand and get from those schools?
Unknown:
I was really impressed, especially by Georgia Tech's
Unknown:
design space, because it was just such a big scale up from
Unknown:
what we were doing, because it was like a professional Well,
Unknown:
our space is pretty good, but it's not like the machinery that
Unknown:
they had there was so high tech, so powerful. And it was really
Unknown:
cool to see what a higher version of our space could look
Unknown:
like. So
Hiram Cuevas:
you've got to, you've got to be looking forward
Hiram Cuevas:
to that next level. It was, it
Unknown:
was awesome. It was really cool, I mean, and we had
Unknown:
a great tour guide, dr, forest. Dr forest was great. He gave us
Unknown:
a tour. He walked, walk us in there. We saw, we not only saw
Unknown:
their innovation space, which, like Max said, 30 printers is a
Unknown:
cutters, cutters with, like hydro, like very powerful water,
Unknown:
like that, yeah. But we also saw, like, the woodworking shop,
Unknown:
and they had another, like lab where you I think they do like a
Unknown:
Atlantic Coast competition, which is really cool to see.
Unknown:
It's really cool. I think one of the biggest things to mention at
Unknown:
Georgia Tech is that their entire design innovation lab is
Unknown:
completely student run. There are a couple staff people in
Unknown:
there, I think. But for the most part, it's just in and out
Unknown:
students all day. It's open to everyone, and the fact that
Unknown:
students put in their own time and effort to keep it running is
Unknown:
really impressive.
Christina Lewellen:
I think that you may have created some East
Christina Lewellen:
Coast aspiring students. You're gonna have mad parents when you
Christina Lewellen:
get back rich like, all these kids are gonna be like, I'm
Christina Lewellen:
going to Georgia
Elliott:
I'm going to Georgia
Rich Lehr:
Tech. I actually want to go to Georgia Tech. Now,
Rich Lehr:
after I actually mentioned it was interesting to go there,
Rich Lehr:
because it really drove home something that probably we don't
Rich Lehr:
share enough with these guys, but so there are so many
Rich Lehr:
professions and careers that are now depending on digital design
Rich Lehr:
and then having the files or the design sent to have something
Rich Lehr:
done with it. And that's everything from dentistry,
Rich Lehr:
orthodontics, construction, engineering, architecture. And
Rich Lehr:
even though we're focused on the work that we do, which is
Rich Lehr:
creating items to sell, we're really trying to just get them
Rich Lehr:
to be comfortable with that idea of using technology to have
Rich Lehr:
impact. And going to Georgia Tech yesterday was just very eye
Rich Lehr:
opening in terms of just what it's possible for young people
Rich Lehr:
to do now. And I'm really excited just to think about the
Rich Lehr:
careers that these students might take where they're doing
Rich Lehr:
things with computers and possibly fabrication that we're
Rich Lehr:
not even dreaming of now. I sort of, I'm trying to look 10 or 15
Rich Lehr:
years down the road and think of how they might use digital
Rich Lehr:
design in ways that are just changing the landscape of
Rich Lehr:
certain professions. Was
Hiram Cuevas:
there a favorite tool at Georgia Tech that that
Hiram Cuevas:
you all like that wish you had at your own school?
Unknown:
For me, don't think we could have it at our school.
Unknown:
Unfortunately, as Dr forest mentioned, it was like a
Unknown:
$200,000 machine, but they had a really powerful hydro drill.
Unknown:
It's like a laser cutter, but with water, and it can cut
Unknown:
through metal. So that was really, really cool to see. But
Unknown:
I think Mr. Lair mentioned that there's smaller versions, more
Unknown:
in our price range. I mean, that would be awesome to have just to
Unknown:
be like, cut through metal.
Christina Lewellen:
Inspiring. I think so too. They are
Christina Lewellen:
inspiring. I bet you guys could get a funder. I'm just saying I
Christina Lewellen:
think you could get some funding. You could just put
Christina Lewellen:
together your proposal and see who, who's going to be willing
Christina Lewellen:
to get you a water powered cutting thing. You already have
Christina Lewellen:
a photographer. That's right. That's right. Shark Tank. Shark
Christina Lewellen:
Tank to support you exactly. That's awesome. So my question
Christina Lewellen:
for you, whenever you're in entrepreneurship, Jacob, you hit
Christina Lewellen:
on this because there are hardships, right? So businesses
Christina Lewellen:
are hard. Working as a team can be hard. You guys probably saw
Christina Lewellen:
this in your work at your own school, when you had challenges
Christina Lewellen:
and deadlines. But even now, here you are out traveling to
Christina Lewellen:
the other side of the country and going on trips and doing
Christina Lewellen:
presentations, there's always moments where it gets a little
Christina Lewellen:
bit tense, or there's the team dynamic. Can you know, you get
Christina Lewellen:
sick of each other, you're tired, you're jet lagged, you're
Christina Lewellen:
hungry. So has this program taught you about being a Team,
Christina Lewellen:
even when it's kind of hard,
Unknown:
yeah, for me, generally, I prefer working
Unknown:
independently than working with groups. But one thing this class
Unknown:
has really taught me is that sometimes you need to let go and
Unknown:
just trust that other people will do the work the way it's
Unknown:
supposed to. And I've been here since the beginning of this
Unknown:
class's founding, and I know that we've gone through some
Unknown:
challenges, but over time, we've learned from those mistakes, and
Unknown:
we've adapted over time so we know now what to do and what not
Unknown:
to do. I love it. It's
Hiram Cuevas:
great experience. A lot of wisdom there.
Rich Lehr:
I was just wondering, could anybody speak about the
Rich Lehr:
image of a rowing team that we often use to discuss our
Rich Lehr:
company? Oh, they all just side.
Christina Lewellen:
All right, yeah, this rowing team, that's
Christina Lewellen:
probably a feature for the first two months of the opening
Christina Lewellen:
circle. Okay, help me understand what's up with the rowing team.
Christina Lewellen:
So there's, like, it's an
Unknown:
image of people rowing, but it has more value, yeah,
Unknown:
context value than it does, like, looking, yeah, but
Unknown:
basically, it kind of represents how if, like, you all need to
Unknown:
work together to be successful. Like, if one person is not
Unknown:
rowing or, like, rowing backwards is an analogy we use a
Unknown:
lot, then it's not gonna function as well, and then it
Unknown:
might not win the race. So
Christina Lewellen:
100% absolutely cool.
Unknown:
Just because also the money, like the things that we
Unknown:
do in this class, like the money that we raise, it's not just
Unknown:
like we're getting a grade for the class, and then it's the end
Unknown:
of that. Like, the products that we make, the money that we get
Unknown:
from the products that we make, is actually going to someone,
Unknown:
like, actually benefits people that really need it. And if
Unknown:
someone is throwing the rowing team off, then it's not going to
Unknown:
be as productive or as successful as it could be. And
Unknown:
when there's like, something so important, as, in this case,
Unknown:
Tyler Robinson foundation on the line, like we can't really
Unknown:
afford that to happen. Yeah, you're
Christina Lewellen:
working for something greater. Yeah,
Christina Lewellen:
absolutely. Okay, cool. So here's what I would love to do.
Christina Lewellen:
This has been so fun for me to chat with you guys. So what I'd
Christina Lewellen:
love to know is, at this point, and you do not need to know for
Christina Lewellen:
sure, but in terms of, you're in seventh and eighth grade, so I'm
Christina Lewellen:
curious, what do you think your future life? I know everybody
Christina Lewellen:
always asks you, What do you want to do when you grow up? I
Christina Lewellen:
would rather ask you, what is your interest? What do you think
Christina Lewellen:
that when you are out in the world, what do you think your
Christina Lewellen:
fingerprint might be? It can be a job, but it doesn't have to
Christina Lewellen:
be. What do you think you'll be interested in when you are no
Christina Lewellen:
longer a middle or high school student.
Unknown:
I'm not really a tech person. I really want to get
Unknown:
into, like art, visual arts, that's what I've been into and
Unknown:
only good at since elementary.
Christina Lewellen:
So you're finding new ways to sort of
Christina Lewellen:
leverage that. Yeah,
Unknown:
so I joined design because I wanted to see like,
Unknown:
instead of just drawing on paper, I want to create actual,
Unknown:
like, physical stuff. But after being in this class, I'm like,
Hiram Cuevas:
you could be an architect.
Christina Lewellen:
It's awesome.
Unknown:
I don't know for sure what I want to do when I'm
Unknown:
older, but I do know that future, it's really clear that a
Unknown:
lot of it's going to involve technological stuff, like AI and
Unknown:
just more digital work. So I'm assuming I know that this class
Unknown:
is really helpful for my future, and I'm going to continue in
Unknown:
future grades doing design stuff. So I'm assuming my job
Unknown:
will be something related to AI or tech in some way,
Christina Lewellen:
and hopefully your artistic
Christina Lewellen:
photography skills too. Hopefully awesome.
Max:
Something I want to do when I'm older is probably robotics
Max:
and artificial intelligence. So that's one of the main reasons I
Max:
joined the Dawson design company, also learning about all
Max:
this stuff, and then being able to sit at the conference and
Max:
hearing everybody that was up here talk about artificial
Max:
intelligence was really, really interesting.
Christina Lewellen:
Yeah, we had some really smart people. Did
Christina Lewellen:
you get a chance to meet Dr fahrenholt? No, but it was, it
Christina Lewellen:
was, I can probably make it happen if he's not on a plane
Christina Lewellen:
yet. I'll introduce you after this. She got she got people. I
Christina Lewellen:
got people
Unknown:
for me. I really don't know what I want to do when I
Unknown:
grow up, because the world is such a changing landscape. What
Unknown:
I want to do now is probably not going to be the same thing as
Unknown:
what I want to do when I'm a senior in high school, or even
Unknown:
when I'm a senior in college, something that we really want to
Unknown:
do in this class is inspire other schools to take this
Unknown:
program and implement it in their schools. So start your own
Unknown:
design company and this high school I'm going to because
Unknown:
Dawson is only a preschool through eighth grade. Yeah, we
Unknown:
have to go other places for high school, and my high school
Unknown:
doesn't have a design lab like this. It has a really amazing
Unknown:
wood shop, but the things I like to do are laser cutting and 3d
Unknown:
printing. So I was thinking if I could bring this concept over to
Unknown:
that school and maybe in some. Our other schools. To
Christina Lewellen:
take surprise, I feel like, Here she
Christina Lewellen:
comes, but we have a new class situation we need to get
Christina Lewellen:
handled. I would not put it past yet.
Unknown:
For me, I would also do, like, something related to
Unknown:
do with robotics and then, like, engineering, yeah, probably the
Unknown:
designing aspect of it, too. Love
Rich Lehr:
it. There was something that I think it's
Rich Lehr:
really important to mention that we haven't really talked about,
Rich Lehr:
is, although we've talked a lot about the design skills and the
Rich Lehr:
entrepreneurship skills and the making money and things like
Rich Lehr:
that, that really pales in comparison to some of the other
Rich Lehr:
things that we're really stressing and one of which is
Rich Lehr:
just helping the kids develop empathy. And so originally, we
Rich Lehr:
selected organizations just on the principle of being able to
Rich Lehr:
make donations to them to help the organizations. And I think
Rich Lehr:
Max mentioned it, we have a partner called the Tyler
Rich Lehr:
Robinson Foundation. They were started by the Imagine Dragons
Rich Lehr:
in Las Vegas, and they financially support families
Rich Lehr:
that have been impacted by pediatric cancer. And we had
Rich Lehr:
originally connected with them. We made a donation to them at
Rich Lehr:
the end of one of our semesters, and they came back and asked if
Rich Lehr:
they could make a connection with us, and they came and did a
Rich Lehr:
presentation. And that was the beginning of a very deep
Rich Lehr:
relationship between the Tyler Robinson Foundation and the
Rich Lehr:
Dawson design company, to the point where we have actually
Rich Lehr:
hosted some of the kids that benefited from the donations of
Rich Lehr:
the Tyler Robinson foundation in terms of their cancer treatment.
Rich Lehr:
We hosted some of their kids at our school in a design morning.
Rich Lehr:
And I was just thinking we, when we used to have the Dawson
Rich Lehr:
design company, we used to use $1 sign for the s in design.
Rich Lehr:
We've actually taken or I've taken out that piece, because
Rich Lehr:
when I first started the class, I was like, oh, it'd be great to
Rich Lehr:
make money and support causes. And now I realize that the more
Rich Lehr:
important piece is the actual connection, the human connection
Rich Lehr:
between the kids and the organizations that we support.
Rich Lehr:
And so now we just use a regular s, because the focus is just
Rich Lehr:
much more on connection community and just getting to
Rich Lehr:
know the people that are on the receiving end of the work that
Rich Lehr:
we do. I love
Christina Lewellen:
that. I love that. Thank you, gunner. What do
Christina Lewellen:
you think the future looks like for you, sir.
Gunner:
So I don't really know what I want to do in the future,
Gunner:
but I definitely want to keep doing design and working with
Gunner:
technology throughout school, and maybe I could even get a job
Gunner:
similar to that area, but I definitely don't really know yet
Gunner:
what I want to do, totally
Unknown:
fine, kind of similar to gunner, just like not really
Unknown:
knowing what I'm gonna do, but like using the skills that I've
Unknown:
learned in DDC Dawson design company, both like the work
Unknown:
skills, just the general skills and the specific design skills
Unknown:
and innovative skills, just in whatever I do. Maybe it's
Unknown:
personal, maybe it'll be my job one day, but I just think taking
Unknown:
what you learned from here and just applying that to something
Unknown:
you do in real life, which is cool. You
Christina Lewellen:
are very evolved young humans. What you
Christina Lewellen:
do is not as important as who you are and how you make people
Christina Lewellen:
feel. So you guys are fantastic in that vein, for sure. So let
Christina Lewellen:
me ask you this, does anyone have a guess of what Hiram
Christina Lewellen:
taught when he was a middle school teacher? Let's hear your
Christina Lewellen:
guesses. Should I give him a hint, a hint, one hint, one
Christina Lewellen:
hint, you get one hint, one hint. Let's
Hiram Cuevas:
see ch four plus o2 yields h2 plus CO two
Hiram Cuevas:
science.
Christina Lewellen:
Yeah, look at that. Was too good of a hint.
Christina Lewellen:
Yep, he was a science teacher before he went into all the
Christina Lewellen:
technology stuff. And the other gentleman that we co host with,
Christina Lewellen:
who isn't here right now, he taught, it's fine arts, your
Christina Lewellen:
third grade, third grade, a third grade teacher became a
Christina Lewellen:
technology leader. And here we have a science teacher that
Christina Lewellen:
became
Rich Lehr:
Can I also, I used to be a science teacher as well,
Rich Lehr:
and about 10 years ago, teaching science, but I came across a
Rich Lehr:
video on the first 3d printable prosthetics. So we had a group
Rich Lehr:
of eighth graders at Brookwood School in Massachusetts, and we
Rich Lehr:
built a prosthetic for my son, Max, who is now one of my
Rich Lehr:
students there. And there was this moment where the kids who
Rich Lehr:
had built the prosthetic gave it to max, and he was able to pick
Rich Lehr:
things up with the prosthetic that he had never been able to
Rich Lehr:
do before. And I had this both paradigm shift, but a little
Rich Lehr:
epiphany that, oh, there's this new generation of technology
Rich Lehr:
that allows kids to make a difference right now, not
Rich Lehr:
waiting until they're adults to be able to do that. And all of
Rich Lehr:
the work that we do right now in just the field of authentic uses
Rich Lehr:
of technology, for me, stem from that moment where we did this
Rich Lehr:
little just sort of one off club project, building a hand for a
Rich Lehr:
child that now, even just 10 years later, that still
Rich Lehr:
persists. So I love
Christina Lewellen:
it. Well, you guys, I'm so glad that you
Christina Lewellen:
were brave to come to this conference. I'm certainly proud
Christina Lewellen:
of you and excited that you won the Aspire award for the first
Christina Lewellen:
time, the first Aspire award. But coming to this conference
Christina Lewellen:
full of adults and holding your own, I am quite impressed, and I
Christina Lewellen:
hope you enjoyed it. I hope you enjoyed your first experience
Christina Lewellen:
with a professional development conference like this. And maybe,
Christina Lewellen:
who knows, maybe you guys will be back here as my members at
Christina Lewellen:
some point. And
Hiram Cuevas:
I think everybody knows Middle School
Hiram Cuevas:
rocks. They're like it rocks. Maybe
Hiram Cuevas:
you can do all sorts of fun stuff in middle school. I
Christina Lewellen:
don't think they believe it. Yeah. Oh, you
Christina Lewellen:
got one believer. You go one believer. The rest of them are
Christina Lewellen:
like, yeah, we're not so sure about that. Well, thank you guys
Christina Lewellen:
so much for joining us on the podcast. Thank you for being
Christina Lewellen:
guests with us. I hope you've had a great time at Atlas, and
Christina Lewellen:
you're welcome back to come hang out anytime you want to come
Christina Lewellen:
back and present next year. Just let me know. Thank you all. Have
Christina Lewellen:
a great day, guys.
Peter Frank:
This has been talking technology with Atlas,
Peter Frank:
produced by the Association of technology leaders in
Peter Frank:
independent schools. For more information about Atlas and
Peter Frank:
Atlas membership, please visit theatlas.org if you enjoyed this
Peter Frank:
discussion, please subscribe, leave a review and share this
Peter Frank:
podcast with your colleagues in the independent school
Peter Frank:
community. Thank you for listening. You.
