With help from the Guilford Fund for Education (GFFE), Nick Ripa has been able to think outside the box to benefit the educational experiences of the students he teaches at Guilford High School (GHS).

Nick, a technology & engineering education teacher, first tapped into GFFE grant opportunities shortly after arriving at GHS 13 years ago. Now, Nick hopes that his GFFE grant success stories will inspire other Guilford Public School (GPS) educators to continue to innovate in their classrooms with assistance from GFFE grants. Nick also hopes to encourage the Guilford community to support the non-profit GFFE, which was established by local volunteers in 2006.

“The Guilford Fund for Education has helped me since day one,” says Nick. “When I started here, fresh out of college, it was already halfway through the year. I came to a electronics and engineering class that had really good content and curriculum, but the project wasn’t inspiring to kids. I found out about the GFFE grants, filled out my first grant application in December, and they funded it that spring.”

It’s been a great working relationship ever since. Nick has returned to GFFE every few years with requests for grants to provide enhanced learning opportunities focused on different areas of instruction. GFFE has funded Nick’s GHS requests ranging from 3D printers to funding the initial Seaperch (underwater operable submarines) robotics build kits.

For the 2023-’24 academic year, GFFE exceeded Nick’s expectations by awarding a substantial grant. The grant has delivered some state-of-the-art technology to GHS in an industry standard machine not often found in public school settings.

“Last year, I wrote a grant through the Guilford Fund For Education to procure a CNC laser cutter for my students with the idea of bridging the gap between their ideas and ability to create. This machine, although just a machine, also creates a sense of belonging as all students have the same ability regardless of their kinesthetic skills,” Nick explains. “Some kids come to us with awesome kinesthetics—they can use power tools, they can build things—and some of them come to us with really cool art backgrounds, but no kinesthetic skills, and some of them come to us with neither. Working with this laser cutter bridges these gaps for them.”

At GHS, Nick’s course instruction includes theatre technology & design, video production, electronics & engineering, drafting & design, computer graphics, screen process printing, and automotive. Nick is also a mentor in the GHS extracurricular community as the technical director for GHS Theatre Arts and advisor for the GHS Film Club. In the Guilford community, Nick is a member of the Guilford Community Television board of directors.

Nick appreciates how teaching a variety of technology classes gives him the chance to interact with a diverse spectrum of students at GHS.

“It’s awesome to teach a variety of classes where you get a nice mix of students of all levels,” he says.

Nick’s theatre technology & design course at GHS touched off the idea of seeking the laser cutter for students.

“What’s cool about our programs versus other programs is we want the kids to do everything,” says Nick. “So, I always want to come up with a way to be able to help them do it, beyond modeling or showing.”

Nick currently has three different sections of the year-long theatre technology & design course underway.

“In class, we do all the set designs for the plays and the musicals. And for the musicals, we do a lot of designing on the computer,” Nick says. “The kids come up with these awesome designs that are only limited by their creativity. The problem is that, with some of their designs, the next step is reality. How do you make that? How do you cut that out with a jigsaw or power tools? So, I wanted a machine that would break that barrier.”

Rough-cutting and use of tools still exists when constructing sets, but the fine-cutting, sharp angles, and intricate work can now be addressed by students applying this new, technological learning.

Regardless of different abilities, students can transfer ideas via software, which in turn, directs and operates the CNC laser cutter. The machine, which cuts Plexiglas, wood, cardboard, and other mediums, is quiet enough that it can operate during class. It has been installed with venting and other efficiencies for student safety and comfort. The laser cutting machine also relieves any stresses usually involved with tool safety.

“It’s really self-contained, so once its initiated, it’s pretty much hands-off, except the students are monitoring it,” Nick explains.

Since the machine is so effective and efficient at producing the elements that students have plugged in as their designs, the results can be altered to address any issues that arise once the design is translated to an actual component.

“It gives a lot of room for trial and error, which is a big part of any learning experience,” says Nick.

It’s also the same type of machine used by professionals.

“Other than learning opportunities, the kids are getting some real-life skills,” he says. “If students go into an engineering field or manufacturing field or something along those lines, these are things that they’ll see.”

While 60 GHS theatre technology & design students are currently accessing the technology and learning involved with the machine, the plan is to branch its use into other classes, says Nick. Recently, GHS technology department Coordinator David Hackett put the machine to use with some of his students for a community project.

“The thing that’s awesome about this machine, and the reason I think GFFE was excited about funding it, is that it doesn’t really give you any boundaries, and kids have great ideas,” says Nick. “The options are kind of limitless. If you can dream it and draw it, you can make it.“

Nick adds that introducing the machine and its capabilities to his students was an exciting moment.

“We want kids to be excited about learning. I want them to be pumped about coming to class and have confidence in themselves, and this machine goes a long way toward giving them that,” Nick says. “That’s another reason why I think it’s so awesome GFFE funded this grant.”

The GFFE grant also provided Nick with on-site training and professional development from the manufacturer. The machine was delivered and installed in Nick’s GHS classroom in Sept. 2023.

Spring GFFE grant applications are currently open, with a deadline of Monday, March 4.The application process is explained at the GFFE website at gffe.org. This spring, GFFE is admitting traditional applications and encouraging grants aligned to its spring 2024 focus of “Supporting Belonging.” The concept of supporting belonging aligns with the mission of the GPS community.

Nick is a big advocate for the possibilities that can be offered to GPS students with the assistance of GFFE grants. He strongly encourages his colleagues to continue to pursue GFFE grants or to apply for the first time.

“GFFE is always interested in funding student-centered ideas that can be sustained and meet the school district’s mission and vision so that the programs can continue,” says Nick. “They are a great organization that’s doing great work.”