Saturday, June 18, 2016
By DENISE DICK
denise_dick@vindy.com
YOUNGSTOWN
Despite their young age, Sarah Hartwig and Maria Reichard, both 10, are budding entrepreneurs.
The two girls, both students at Valley Christian Schools’ Lewis Center, signed up for the school’s girls-only 3-D camp this week at America Makes.
Eight middle school girls from six Mahoning Valley schools signed up for the five-day camp led by Ashley Martof, a Youngstown State University graduate student. It covered 3-D printing, additive manufacturing and entrepreneurship.
“I love 3-D printing – we have a 3-D printing club at our school,” said Sarah, who will be in fifth-grade next school year.
“I wanted to learn about 3-D printing,” said Maria, a sixth-grader.
In one exercise, each girl designed a product to meet a need and developed a business plan for it, Martof said.
Maria’s product is animal figurines with facts about each printed right on the animal.
“They can play with it and learn more about it,” she explained.
Sarah’s product is a coffee mug with a heating element to keep hot drinks hot.
Together the two girls envision many businesses.
In Cats and Cupcakes, they plan a shop to sell healthy cupcakes for cats and their owners.
“No dogs allowed in,” Maria said.
They’re still ironing out the details but money earned through the business would be donated to a shelter for homeless people.
Sara Reichard, director of the Lewis School and Maria’s mom, said the camp was limited to girls to try to foster an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields which have attracted more boys than girls.
Martof said that in her classes, she’s often the only female.
She will lead another Lewis School offering next week. Intro to 3-D Printing is for third and fourth-graders of both genders.
The girls in this week’s camp took to the 3-D printing software quickly, Martof noted.
“They’re used to technology,” she said.
They’ve grown up with smartphones and other devices.
Katie Padgett, 10, a fifth-grader at Canfield Village Middle School, worked on her product, custom-fitted helmets with printed designs.
Her mother suggested she register for the camp. She agreed because she wanted to learn more about 3-D printing.
Next to Katie, Alaina Fitch, 13, an eighth-grader at Western Reserve Middle School, worked on her product, custom orthotics.