If you see an eighth grader gliding down the hallway of Hastings Middle School on a skateboard, it’s just Myles doing his homework.
The eighth-grader is part of Mr. Renner’s Innovation and Design class, where students can take on individual projects that interest them.
Myles, who grew up skateboarding, was selected to assemble a new project that the class secured through a grant from the Hastings Education Enrichment Foundation.
This is not your typical skateboard, either. Myles assembled a skateboard equipped with a battery-powered engine that propels it. Myles can control the speed with a remote control.
“It actually goes pretty fast,” Myles said after taking the board out on its maiden voyage down the hall.
He was a big fan of his project.
“I kind of want to bring it home, but we’re not allowed to,” he said smiling.
Cruising around campus on the electric skateboard isn’t the only part of the project for Myles, either. The project comes with an entire curriculum. He will work through learning modules to examine the project from every angle.
“He’ll learn everything from where the minerals were sourced to build the batteries to learning about the production of the wheels and the board and all the other things involved to bring together the whole picture,” Mr. Renner said.
“And, every once in a while he’ll jump on it and go up and down the hallway.”
Once he’s done with the curriculum, Myles will disassemble the board so that it will be ready for reassembly by the next student.
“Most of my grants have started with something the kids have talked about being interested in,” Mr. Renner said. “With this grant, what drew me to this device was actually the battery plant they’re putting in Marshall. As we start to move more into electric transportation, learning and understanding of what’s behind it is a really good thing for our students to get.”