Apr 13, 2020 4 min read

The West Greene School District may be closed due to COVID-19, but every day there is a small group of teachers working diligently inside to create a useful tool to help combat the ongoing pandemic.

The team is using technology on the school premises to create face shields for area health care workers and police.

On March 31, West Greene School District Superintendent Brian Jackson received an email copy of an article from the educational website www.thejournal.com, which detailed how school districts in Tennessee and other areas across the nation were using 3D printers to produce face shields that would be distributed at no cost to those in the medical and law enforcement professions.

Since West Greene has 3D printers, Jackson held a video conference on April 1 with academic director Eric Gaydos and teachers Eric Armstrong, Tim Barnes and Kayla Hildreth, and school resource officer Jared Edgreen. They then formed a team to create face shields for local EMS workers, first responders, police officers, doctors, nurses, hospital staff and anyone on the “front lines” fighting the virus, Jackson said.

Within 24 hours, the team set up four of the school’s printers in Hildreth’s seventh- and eighth-grade STEM classroom, donned masks and gloves, gathered the materials needed and began to create the face shields.

“We had a long discussion about whether or not we should make masks or shields, and we knew we had the materials to make the face shields, so we went in that direction,” Armstrong explained. “We tested out a few designs before we decided on what we’re now making. We already had the materials in stock at the school for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) curriculum, and some of the materials needed to be used or else they would become brittle.”

The team was also able to utilize unused supplies from the school’s classroom-based business, Hargus Creek Designs.

The printers are being used to create 3D shield frames, and then overhead transparent sheets are attached to make the shield. Barnes said with the four printers, the group can create approximately eight face shields every 60 to 90 minutes.

Gaydos put the word out about the face shields on the West Greene School District Facebook page, which he said received a huge response of requests from medical field workers not long after the information was posted.

“Hundreds of thousands of people across the country are doing this exact same thing, so we are grateful to able to do this in our area for our local ‘front liners,'” Gaydos said.

Barnes stressed that the face shields are not meant to replace standard personal protection equipment, when standard PPEs are available.

“These dramatically reduce the spraying of saliva and moisture, so they can be very effective, even if they’re not standard PPEs,” he said. “It’s simply another way that our local front liners can protect themselves.”

Hildreth said the team is planning on making the initiative a long-term investment.

“We plan to make these until we run out of materials, and fortunately, we have lots of materials,” she said. “We are still very early in the game, but we’ll keep making these as long as we can.”

Edgreen stressed that the team is complying with safety orders, wearing masks and gloves and utilizing social distancing.

In the meantime, Barnes said the school district’s initiative has expanded past the classroom.

“Two brothers, Gage and Colby Gray of Graysville, are helping make the face shields at home, since they have the same 3D printer that the school uses,” he said.

Jackson said the project is a perfect example of how strongly the school staff and administration are dedicated to contributing something positive during these uncertain times.

“It is impressive how this group got together and developed something like this in such a dramatically short period of time,” he said. “I’m proud of the quality of people that is here … it is that quality that is making this happen.”

Any local first responders and/or health-related organizations who wish to seek more information about the face shields are encouraged to call the school district at 724-499-5183 and ask to speak to Eric Gaydos. He can also be reached by email at gaydose@wgsd.org.

Additional information about the face shields can be found on the West Greene School District Facebook page.