228.452.9442 • office@myces.org
The Seemann Makerspace, the multi-technology asset of Coast Episcopal School, was officially dedicated on Thursday, November 18, 2021.
Made possible by the vision and generosity of Bill and Wynn Seemann, The Seemann Makerspace has been enriching the lives of CES students since October 2020, when the doors of the multi-technology facility first opened. The dedication was delayed for a year due to the Covid Pandemic.
Housing robots, 3D printers, video and animation production, and laser cutters, The Seemann Makerspace provides its students with endless, hands-on opportunities for learning.
William Seemann, founder of Gulfport-based Seemann Composites, Inc., based his company on his industry-transforming research and development in composite fabrication.
“Making things is fundamental to what it means to be human,” states Bill Seemann. “From earliest civilizations, we have made tools, house, boats, automobiles. There is a joy to conceiving and making things with our hands. Now we see ourselves entering a new world where more and more of what is made is designed and manufactured with the aid of computers. Becoming familiar with this technology and using it to make things at an early age is going to help our children succeed in an increasingly complex world.”
“From the moment I told Bill that CES was considering adding a makerspace, he was enthralled,” said Wynn Seemann, “and, as a longtime educator whose philosophy has always been that children learn by doing, so was I.” The Seemanns traveled to makerspaces in other places to learn what the addition of a technology-based building could mean to CES students. Armed with that research, Bill Seemann began designing the building, selecting the materials and overseeing its construction.
The student projects now taking place within The Seemann Makerspace are an extension of lessons in CES’ traditional classrooms, as the faculty works closely with Makerspace Director Tarah Herbert to tie curriculum into technology.
The impact the Seemann’s gift has had on CES students is incalculable, and it is sure to multiply throughout the years.
To define a school makerspace by its purpose and simplest of terms, it is a place where young people have an opportunity to explore their own interests; learn to use tools and materials, both physical and virtual; and develop creative projects.
Making is fundamental to what it means to be human. We must make, create and express ourselves to feel whole. There is something unique about making physical things. These things are like little pieces of us and seem to embody portions of our souls.