From Makerspace to Bear Cams: A Year of Innovation in Wrangell

The 2026 spring semester in Wrangell was filled with creativity, persistence, and hands-on learning. Students continued building on the skills they developed during the fall, taking on more advanced projects in coding, 3D design, laser cutting, and engineering.

One of the semester’s highlights came from a student-inspired challenge using Raspberry Pi technology. Students set out to build a motion-sensing RGB light that changed colors based on the distance detected by a sonar sensor. The project required weeks of coding, testing, troubleshooting, and refining before it finally worked. When the light successfully changed from blue to green to red, it was a celebration of much more than a successful program—it was proof that persistence and a growth mindset lead to success.

Students also continued exploring 3D design with Tinkercad, creating projects that reflected their own interests and community needs. Clay designed custom Dungeons & Dragons miniatures for weekly game nights, while Seth tackled the ambitious challenge of designing a life-size samurai sword by dividing it into printable sections that could later be assembled. Andrei applied his design skills to create trophies for a Senior Project Magic: The Gathering tournament and produced 3D-printed QR codes for the U.S. Forest Service.

Another favorite activity this semester was learning to use the Muse laser cutter. Students designed custom boxes, prepared files for production, operated the laser cutter, and assembled their finished projects. Along the way, they discovered that makerspaces are built on collaboration as much as technology, with students regularly helping one another solve problems and improve their designs.

Beyond the classroom, several students helped prepare the Anan Wildlife Observatory live camera system for another successful season. Their work included starting up the camera network, installing a new underwater salmon camera, rewiring cameras damaged by winter storms, and adding new microphones to improve the live stream experience. This project has been an ongoing collaboration between the USFS, T3 Alliance, and the Wrangell community “Friends of Anan“. 

As the school year came to a close, one lesson stood above all the others: learning is a team effort. Students learned patience and became teachers themselves, sharing new skills with classmates as they figured out each technology.

Thank you to our Wrangell students for another outstanding year. Your curiosity, creativity, and willingness to tackle difficult challenges continue to demonstrate what T3 Alaska is all about. We look forward to seeing what you’ll accomplish next.