Beecher schools launched its first-ever STEAM SmartLab, which is expected to help students better prepare for life after graduation.

“With today’s society, we’re trying to give kids an opportunity because you can’t teach the way you did 20 years ago,” Beecher Community School District Board of Education President Marvin Smoot said. “You have to make it exciting and fun for them.”

“There’s been a lot of planning along with the SmartLab team and the Beecher team to ensure there’s going to be a high-quality event,” Superintendent Dr. Jendayi Gardner said.

Several Beecher High School students are already utilizing the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) lab as part of a pilot program the district is conducting to determine if it will purchase more labs in the future.

The lab is located at Beecher High School, but the district plans to move it to the former Beecher High School building when its renovation is complete. The old high school is set to reopen for the 2026-27 school year.

“Our hope is that we have all of our grades actually rotate through, and in the future, the vision will be that we have it in each of our schools,” Gardner said.

The lab features computers, a mobile CNC (Computer Numerical Control) engraving system, a laser engraver as well as color and 3D printers.

The lab also allows students to make and fly their own drones.

“I think just walking into the space, it’s just a whole level of energy that increases in a positive direction,” Gardner said. “And I see a lot of pride in the students as they walk into that room.”

While using the lab, students will be able to explore career paths in major areas of technology, including circuitry and electronics, data collection and analysis, marketing and design, modeling and design, mechanics and structures, communication and multimedia, artificial intelligence and robotics control technology.

With the new lab, the district aims to create new opportunities for students and help them develop their own career identities, regardless of whether they plan to attend college after graduation.

By Nick Taylor | mLIVE