New innovation hub, makerspace opens for Reading Community City Schools

Reading Community Schools is officially opening the doors to a maker-space and innovation hub for students K-12.It’s all because of a state grant. This comes at a time when state funds for education have been uncertain. As soon as you step inside the Reading Community City Schools Innovation Hub, there are opportunities everywhere you look.”From what I’ve seen, these 3D printers look more advanced and like precise from what ours are,” senior RJ McCormick said. From 3D printers to laser cutting technology, STEM learning is the centerpiece of this massive project.”I can now make more precise cuts and go further into the depth of what I want to achieve,” senior Matthew Lawson said. Students will soon be able to use this state-of-the-art equipment.”It’s definitely more advanced from what we’ve been able to use in the past and currently, right now too,” McCormick said.This space will help them be career-ready.”I’ve wanted to go into civil engineering, and now that I have the second semester of my high school career to go into it more, I think it’s beautiful,” Lawson said.The innovation hub in the high school and maker space in the elementary school are the products of a two-million-dollar state grant.”When Governor DeWine came to visit our district to award us the grant to then visioning and then building and construction, we saw this happen very quickly,” Superintendent Damon Davis said. Davis says Reading was awarded this money back in March of 2024. While funding has been a gray area for many districts in the past year, Davis says they’ve taken extra steps to make sure it was rolled out effectively.”You have to be very mindful of how are you going to continue to sustain the project once it’s built and developed,” Davis said. “And so for us, we’ve been very intentional about that and mindful where we haven’t had to hire additional staffing.”The hope is that this state investment will set students up for success starting from day one.”And so for us, Davis said. “This is going to be something that students will be able to have access to that they’ve never had access to before.”As graduation nears for both RJ and Matthew, they’re looking forward to how the hub will shape their future.”You can come in here, you can use these machines,” Lawson said. “You can truly learn what you want to do.”The goal is to continue training teachers and staff and work this into students’ schedules in the next month or so.

READING, Ohio —

Reading Community Schools is officially opening the doors to a maker-space and innovation hub for students K-12.

It’s all because of a state grant. This comes at a time when state funds for education have been uncertain.

As soon as you step inside the Reading Community City Schools Innovation Hub, there are opportunities everywhere you look.

“From what I’ve seen, these 3D printers look more advanced and like precise from what ours are,” senior RJ McCormick said.

From 3D printers to laser cutting technology, STEM learning is the centerpiece of this massive project.

“I can now make more precise cuts and go further into the depth of what I want to achieve,” senior Matthew Lawson said.

Students will soon be able to use this state-of-the-art equipment.

“It’s definitely more advanced from what we’ve been able to use in the past and currently, right now too,” McCormick said.

This space will help them be career-ready.

“I’ve wanted to go into civil engineering, and now that I have the second semester of my high school career to go into it more, I think it’s beautiful,” Lawson said.

The innovation hub in the high school and maker space in the elementary school are the products of a two-million-dollar state grant.

“When Governor DeWine came to visit our district to award us the grant to then visioning and then building and construction, we saw this happen very quickly,” Superintendent Damon Davis said.

Davis says Reading was awarded this money back in March of 2024. While funding has been a gray area for many districts in the past year, Davis says they’ve taken extra steps to make sure it was rolled out effectively.

“You have to be very mindful of how are you going to continue to sustain the project once it’s built and developed,” Davis said. “And so for us, we’ve been very intentional about that and mindful where we haven’t had to hire additional staffing.”

The hope is that this state investment will set students up for success starting from day one.

“And so for us, Davis said. “This is going to be something that students will be able to have access to that they’ve never had access to before.”

As graduation nears for both RJ and Matthew, they’re looking forward to how the hub will shape their future.

“You can come in here, you can use these machines,” Lawson said. “You can truly learn what you want to do.”

The goal is to continue training teachers and staff and work this into students’ schedules in the next month or so.