HOLLAND, Ohio — Scores on the ACT college admissions test by this year's high school graduates hit their lowest point in more than 30 years, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic fueled the decline.
Subjects used in STEM studies, like math and science, have seen students not reaching benchmarks.
So Springfield Middle School's STEM Specialist, Mike Ransford, is incorporating interactive learning into his classroom by assembling prosthetic hands. Ransford said those skills were lost through distance learning.
"I think there's more to it than being able to look at something," he said. "Your screen is a great tool, but it's not the only tool. So, I like to help them learn how to use other things."
He was able to secure a $5,000 grant last spring with the help of the Ohio STEM Learning Network to fund the purchase of the materials and 3D printers.
"In middle school, we're always focused on ourselves, but I really want to help them make the world a better place," Ransford said. "Case in point, a prosthetic hand."
Saphira George is one of the eighth graders assembling these hands, which are made with cardboard, Legos and 3D-printed plastic.
"People can have a better life and they can things without having to have troubles and asking other people to do it for them," she said.
Jack Martin, an eighth grader in the pre-engineering technology class, said he's happy to have a class like Ransford's because it helps for his own future.
Ransford said he hopes to partner with doctors and patients and wants to continue to make more hands his students can assemble for them. But, not every hand is perfect.
"I share all of my failures with the kids," Ransford said. "Every time something goes wrong, we talk about it. I'm demonstrating to them how we move forward through failure and learn through making mistakes."