Eighth-graders at P.J. Gelinas Junior High School recently completed a five-week technology unit on drawing and engineering.

After learning how to use SketchUp design software, the students applied basic engineering and architectural lessons to create digital drawings of their bedrooms. After mastering this task, the class tackled a larger-scale project – drawing 3-D replicas of their homes to scale. They imported stamps of their properties from Google Earth and built their homes from the foundation up, including sidewalks, perfectly pitched roofs and natural privacy barriers.

The eighth-grade technology program provides students with the chance to study a variety of concentration areas in depth on a rotating basis. In addition to this five-week program, for example, they will rotate through workshops on bridge building, technical drawing by hand and 3-D drawing. The program gives the students an understanding of the interworking of these advancing technologies and how, when connected, they can be used to create endless possibilities.