Cultivating Innovation in the Middle School

2/25/2026

As the whirring of embroidery machines and the hum of 3D printers fill the air, it’s clear that the middle school Open IEC course is in full swing.

Open IEC, named after the School’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, is a co-curricular offering for middle and upper school students. This winter, some 20 students in grades 5 to 8 are participating in the makerspace activities.

Rae Johnson ’11, middle school IEC teacher, describes Open IEC as a chance for students “to develop skills and explore technology beyond the classroom. After school, students can set their own goals and work at a higher level in the makerspaces. They can also play with the ‘less academic’ toys like the sewing and embroidery machines, laser engraver and printers that are tangential to the IEC curriculum, but are key skills for independent creators.”

From pins to patches and beyond, students have been applying their tech skills to a new craft as they prepare to showcase their work at a Middle School Gathering in March.

Sixth grader Kaleb Mullings created egg-shaped plushies with machine-embroidered faces. Fifth grader Emi Kubo has been using a heat press to complete her custom-designed T-shirts. Seventh grader Elise Vargas designed pins inspired by the video game Yukazato, while fellow seventh grader Matias Rodriguez has been hard at work on an intricate Prowler (from the "Spider-Verse" movies) cosplay project.

Johnson said, “We've seen many students who, in their words, ‘don't see themselves as STEM kids’ find a place in the group. Open IEC has also created friendships across grade levels. I see the students sharing knowledge with each other about coding, digital art and AI — and really bonding as peers.”