Adaptive innovation
By Julie Matuszewski; photos courtesy of American Academy
American Academy Castle Pines campus engineering instructor Amy McKenzie removes finished headbands and ear savers from the low concentration sodium hydroxide bath. Ear savers provide healthcare providers comfort by keeping the elastic pieces of face shields off the backs of ears.
Members of the American Academy (AA) engineering staff love to find new and innovative ways to solve problems. When it became clear that procuring protective equipment for healthcare workers would be difficult for many health organizations, the AA engineering staff collaborated with a local designer and started making headbands and ear savers to donate to local hospitals and nursing homes.
Using resources that would have gone toward the eighth grade engineering unit and spring extracurricular activities, the department was able to provide more than 500 completed face shields and as many ear savers for local healthcare workers on the front lines.
American Academy Castle Pines engineering instructor Melissa Sitzmann prepares an ear saver for its sodium hydroxide bath.
The first completed batch of frames ready for protective transparency sheets.
