By LILY WICHERT

Freshman William Kothe, a student in Mr. Ryan Myer’s Entrepreneurship class has always had an idea in mind, but was unsure of how to make it happen.

Regarding the process of laying carbon fibers, William hopes to “come up with new ideas and brainstorm some of the issues.”

With the new IDEA Hub in the works, this dream can now be made a reality for William.

The IDEA Hub is a space at Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology that will be available for students in the future to get an idea of their own and create endless possibilities. IDEA is an acronym that stands for innovation, design, entrepreneurship, and action; the space will be available to grade 6-12 students from Bellefonte, Bald Eagle, and Penns Valley.

This area will include different tools for students to utilize, including computers, equipment, and experts in different areas that will enable students to obtain hands-on experience after school and in the summertime on any kind of idea they have that can be further advanced. 

Mr. Vaugn Donmoyer is the Woodworking and Project Lead the Way Pre-Engineering teacher at Bellefonte Area High School. With the new IDEA Hub, Mr. Donmoyer hopes to see students go out of their way to utilize the resources that are available to enhance skills they use inside the classroom.

“I am trying to encourage students that [the IDEA Hub] is there for a resource,” Mr. Donmoyer said. “The resources we have here are great, but I think it’s nice to possibly have some more resources, whether it’s people, tools, materials, machines, hopefully the IDEA Hub will be able to provide that.”

Mr. Donmoyer believes that the IDEA Hub will be most beneficial to students that pursue any field or career choice by enabling hands-on experience before graduating high school. 

“It will help build a connection for further down the road,” Mr. Donmoyer said. 

Mr. Ryan Myers teaches multiple subjects at Bellefonte High, including Introduction to Personal Law, Introduction to Business, Entrepreneurship, Sports and Entertainment Marketing, and Transition to High School and Beyond. Mr. Myers has also played a pivotal role in the development of the IDEA Hub, and plans to encourage students to utilize the Hub as much as possible. 

Mr. Myers looks forward to how our school “can take these ideas and bring them together in this one hub for the community. I’m most excited about having a place for someone who really has something that they want to take live.”

“We do our best in this Entrepreneurship class, but it is only 45 minutes long, and then [students] go on to the next period,” Mr. Myers said. “This is going to be more open-ended, and people can connect with community members that can help them, use resources that one school can’t provide.”

According to the Bellefonte Area School District webpage, the IDEA Hub will be implemented by a $10,000 one-year grant given by the Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool Youth Development Network; the main goal of the PSAYDN is to provide out-of-the-classroom resources to students that encourage innovation and imagination. The space at CPI is one of three in Pennsylvania- the other two hubs being located in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. 

Bellefonte Area High School Principal Mr. Michael Fedisson looks forward to being “one of the only public schools,” that offers this opportunity to students. 

The IDEA Hub will be available to students during the after school hours, and possibly during the summertime as well. “The idea is to promote entrepreneurship; students could go [to the IDEA Hub] and work on the entrepreneurship process,” Mr. Fedisson said. 

While the IDEA Hub is an anticipated resource that will be available soon, the small details are still to be worked out to ensure the IDEA Hub is at its full potential.

“Part of our challenge now is figuring out who can staff it, where we can get the resources, and pulling the component pieces together, and trying to come up with a schedule,” Mr. Fedisson said. “We certainly want to get something going this year.”

The IDEA Hub will provide resources that will advance a student’s own ideas, and will prepare one for skills beyond high school. Students in 6th-12th grade in the school district can utilize this opportunity that was given to the community to enhance their imaginations, and do the impossible.