What is a Fab Lab and how is it making a difference in student education at Catalyst Alternative High School?
The informal definition of “Fab Lab” is: John Niebergall’s hands-on classroom at Catalyst, formerly a program through Newberg High School and its own school as of this fall.
OK, but what is the Fab Lab, really? In this space, “Fab” stands for both “fabulous” and “fabrication.” It’s a space for innovative students to thrive, and the room contains power tools and top-notch computer technology.
The space was made possible by voters’ passage of a $141 million bond in 2020, which allowed Catalyst to expand, adding a small gym and more science, technology, and math classrooms like the Fab Lab. Niebergall said he now has one of the finest classrooms he has ever had.
“We have this new space: I’ve never had a brand-new space like this, so we’re very excited,” Niebergall told his class on Dec. 5.
Having Niebergall lead this opportunity is invaluable. Niebergall is an educator who sports scads of awards and almost 40 years of experience, and he devotes everything he has to helping students learn with all the resources available in the Catalyst Fab Lab. Students notice, and they appreciate and benefit from the dual resources of Mr. Niebergall and his Fab Lab.
“I’m really happy we have this; it’s a great opportunity,” sophomore Nick Hendricks said. “It is a creative playground.”
“I’m able to make any design I want, well, except designs with edges that are too sharp and don’t last long on shirts,” Catalyst senior Brody Snow said.
Niebergall has been inspiring students for many years. He taught current Catalyst Principal Chris Stevens back when Stevens attended Sherwood Middle and High Schools. Niebergall has held many other roles, deepening his knowledge of his field as the Coordinator of the Oregon Fab Lab for the Northwest Regional Education Service District and as Executive Director of Digital Design and Fabrication Oregon.
This Oregon State alumnus also racked up accolades while working as an educator. He has received the White House “Champion of Change for Making” Award in 2016, the Oregon Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year in 2015, and the National Center for Women and Information Technology Educator Award Winner in 2011.
Niebergall’s experience and talent, coupled with the existence of a freshly minted facility with a host of tools and technologies has already taught students so much, and it was only completed this fall.
Snow said that Niebergall showed him how to use the vinyl cutter with an accompanying graphic design program. The school bought both with bond funds. He is now considering establishing a side business making T-shirts and hoodies to support himself while he’s in college. Snow has also fine-tuned his skill with woodworking, expertly burning crisp designs into wooden cutouts to craft keepsakes.
Hendricks also has ideas for clothing design, just like Snow. In addition, Hendricks enjoys woodworking and plans to build a mini-ramp for skating, with Niebergall’s help.
“I’m a hands-on person; I want to start my own brand, and this would help me get into that,” Hendricks said.
Hendricks said that sometimes he struggles to engage in more lecture-based classes, and it’s easier to grasp how something works when there is a tangible, hands-on process involved. Tactile learning, the Fab Lab resources, and support from Niebergall all combine to make him relish being in class, being in school.
“Fun makes things easier, and it’s easier to learn when you’re having fun,” he said.
Niebergall also goes the extra mile, either patiently guiding his students through using design software during Makerspace class or bringing in a highly regarded expert as a guest speaker on the first day of Computer Science class, Eric Campbell, an Information Developer for Siemens EDA.
On the first day of the school’s second trimester, Junior Imelda Serrano sat perched on a stool at a work table waiting for Campbell to begin his presentation. She had taken the creative Makerspace class in the fall in Niebergall’s fabulous Fab Lab.
“I am excited to be back,” Imelda said.
Students aren’t always excited to be back in class. However, Niebergall’s Fab Lab has that effect on them, maybe it’s his experience, his award-winning skill, the brand-new space he’s teaching in, or all of the above. Maybe it’s just because that’s what the Fab Lab is by another informal definition, a place students love, a place they return to.
Photo captions: Photo 1, Teacher John Niebergall with his Makerspace students; Photo 2, Imelda Serrano preparing for her Computer Science class; and Photo 3, guest speaker Eric Campbell, Niebergall’s mentor and an expert in computer science.