Neon galaxy display at Saratoga school’s makerspace blows expectations out of this world

Foothill Elementary School in Saratoga unveiled a neon galaxy display in its makerspace, created by students across all grades under the guidance of makerspace aide Joselito Robles. The project, inspired by recent astronomical events, showcased hands-on learning and creativity, with support from the Saratoga Education Foundation.

Getting your Trinity Audio //trinityaudio.ai player ready...On the last day of class at Foothill Elementary School in Saratoga, students took their teachers and parents out of this world with a neon galaxy display in the school’s makerspace. “I had never seen anything like this before,” said third-grade teacher Mary Roller. “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in all my 31 years of teaching.” Each of the three elementary schools in the Saratoga Union School District has a makerspace where students are guided in creating projects on a weekly basis, said Foothill principal Debbie Stewart. “A makerspace really provides an outlet for students to tap into different kinds of learning and different ways of showing what they know,” Stewart said. “It allows them to be creative, to fail sometimes and then redesign their thinking based on in-the-moment learning and feedback they get from their projects.” Joselito Robles, known as Mr. Jolo by his students and coworkers, is the makerspace aide at Foothill. He put together the neon, space-themed open house display with students’ work from across all grades, from rockets to planetary models to figurative language to describe outer space. Robles said he was inspired to do an outer space theme following recent astronomical events like the Artemis II mission and solar eclipses. “Since I was going through our science curriculum, I noticed that multiple grades were studying astronomy, and that’s where everything clicked,” Robles said. “Part of the makerspace is you have the freedom to adjust the curriculum based on what they’re learning in class.” Robles had previously organized annual blacklight activities for science experiments and said he wanted to do something similar at Foothill. He saw an “under the sea”-themed hallway display at Saratoga Elementary School’s makerspace and realized it was possible to make a large display featuring projects by every student. He brought in reflective materials and glow paint and guided students at each grade level through different projects. First-graders painted paper lanterns and used a table saw to cut cardboard pieces into rings. Fifth-graders were instructed to use the NASA website to find out what the sky looked like on their birthdays and re-create it in a painting. The fourth-graders were learning about literary devices like figurative language and onomatopoeia, which they reflected in images. With the younger students in transitional kindergarten programs, Robles instructed them to create a flat rocket with squares containing the letters of their name. Roller said her third-graders took pieces of neon-colored paper to create an abstract design against the black background in the room. She said students develop hands-on skills from participating in activities in the makerspace, like 3D printing, sewing, cutting cardboard or using a hot glue gun. Roller noted that the students develop their creativity and problem-solving skills through trial and error. She also cited the importance of makerspace programs in helping students who may not be performing well in typical subjects like math, reading or writing but may excel in hands-on projects, adding that project-based learning also teaches students leadership and collaboration. “They have to figure out how to make it work. It’s not somebody saying, ‘This is how you do it,'” Roller said. “So each year since we’ve had Mr. Jolo, I see my third-graders able to do more earlier in the year.” The district’s makerspace programs are supported by the Saratoga Education Foundation. Mahshid Maleki, the group’s president, said the foundation provides over half a million dollars annually to support programs in the district, some of which was used to acquire a 3D printer for Foothill Elementary School. “We support the makerspace,” Maleki said. “Whether it’s launching the makerspace, discovering science through hands-on experiments or attending all these wonderful programs, that is all funded with SEF.” Robles said the response to Foothill’s “neon galaxy” display was “impressive.” He noted that students were proud to show off their work, and parents seemed to have been caught off-guard by its quality . “A lot of the parents were saying like, ‘Oh this is the coolest room for sure, like hands down,'” Robles added. “I heard that a few times.”