Dear Editor:

I just spent time at Boothbay Region High School in the Intro to engineering class of teacher Ben Powell, where the kids were learning computer programming using the Matlab language. What an exciting class! There were 10 students, five boys and five girls. They were all working individually, (and helping each other as needed) on a general problem set forth by the teacher. The kids were problem solving, testing, comparing, retrying, collaborating, and were all making progress at various speeds. Here was high school learning at its best; a small class; an energetic, informed, and lively teacher; and a curriculum that matters. We talk about the need for 21st century learning, well, here it is. Classroom content that matters now, that leads both to useful habits of thinking, and to career paths as these kids move through the next decades of college and work.

By chance, as an extra treat for us visitors, a large box arrived, carried in by some other students, and was quickly opened. It was a basic-level, 3-D printer that had been ordered previously by Mr Powell. While most of the kids continued with their Matlab computing, several kids got it running, linked it with a CAD software application, and before the class ended, it was printing out a chess pawn designed by one of the kids. Impressive!

Because there seems to be so much misinformed, uninformed, ill-informed opinion out in the community by some who have perhaps never even set foot in the high school, I offer to bring anyone into the school with me as I go about my occasional visits. Or set up a visit on your own. You will come away impressed, as I have been on every occasion when I have gone there.

Bruce MacDonald

CSD School Committee

Boothbay