Design Thinking

The Empathy Lab: This research-based, human-centered space encourages students to ask each other questions and understand another person’s lived experiences. Quiet alcoves foster conversation. Students can conduct research, do interview intakes and begin the work necessary to focus on the human element of their design.

The Idea Lab: This creative room provides collaborative opportunities for students to generate solutions to the problems they identify. It’s also a space to develop their STEM and tech-based skills. Young scientists will have access to virtual and augmented reality. They will explore the implications of AI and grapple with how technology can enhance their designs.

Makerspaces—The Garage, Falcon Workshop, Tool Shed and Art Studio: St. Mary’s doesn’t stop at the theoretical. Students are trained to be practical. Practicality requires them to create prototypes of their designs and test their ideas. These four makerspaces are designed to do just that.

“We want to graduate creators, not consumers,” Patterson says. “The process of making something with your hands is a highly valuable skill. It’s also high in rewards and satisfaction for students.”

The Garage provides hands-on, real-world experiences enabling students to work with larger machines like laser cutters and 3D printers. An actual garage door rolls open, giving the space an industrial feel with state-of-the-art equipment.

The Falcon Workshop, designed for the youngest students, includes flexible furniture and everyday materials intended for imaginative play. Legos and marble runs are low-risk, high-reward experiences allowing kids to test their theories with little need for supervision.

The Tool Shed is an old school woodshop with workbenches and traditional tools, all designed for hands-on experiences in a safe and controlled environment.

“What I love about this Center is that in one room, students will produce with saws, hammers and nails. Next door, kids will be exploring artificial intelligence and working with 3D printers and laser cutters,” Patterson says. “The Center will pull on every part of their brain and result in some incredible work.”

The Gallery: Finally, students need a dedicated space to showcase their successes. No longer relying on the gymnasium with its poor lighting and echoing acoustics, the Gallery will elevate the environment and incentivize students to strive for greatness in their work.

Today’s Investment Pays Tomorrow’s Dividends

Consider this. The telephone took 50 years to enter the mainstream. The World Wide Web was widely adopted within seven. ChatGPT took two months. Can we prepare students for rapid technological change in a human-centric world? The answer lies in how, not what, they are taught.

“Education, like every sector, is undergoing a massive evolution,” Patterson says. “St. Mary’s has always been at the cutting edge of change. Now is not the time to