Baltimore's Catholic Schools Get 3D Printers
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Technology that's changing everything from manufacturing to medicine is coming to all of the Catholic schools in the Baltimore archdiocese.
Alex DeMetrick reports even third graders are getting a 3D headstart.
At St. Phillip Neri Catholic School, the lesson is making things a community needs.
"So it's sort of like a bus to come to the airport to come to another place," said one student.
Like maybe a soccer field.
Only what's being drawn is being printed in three dimensions, a layer at a time in plastic.
"And they're just absolutely awestruck that something they've created on screen on the computer can now become a physical object that they can touch with their hands," said St. Phillip Neri teacher Phil Lathroum.
The students at the Linthicum school are prototypes for a major rollout for the Baltimore archdiocese. Archbishop William Lori announced all 49 primary and secondary Catholic schools will start 3D printing courses.
"It's really cool. I feel like it opens up a lot of different math and science; different types of topics for school here," said student Carla Vega-Diaz.
The first 13 schools will get 3D printers this week, including Holy Angels.
"Holy Angels serves a lot of kids from Sandtown Winchester," Lori said.
The epicenter of the Freddie Gray arrest and death is the same community Archbishop Lori is investing new technology in.
"Now and hopefully in the future to have hope and opportunity as part of the solution," Lori said.
Curriculum for 3D printing will incorporate math, science and engineering elements.