About Maker/Design Studio 
The elective course was inspired by the Maker movement, the need to expose students a creative outlet in addition to the already flourishing art and drama programs, and the desire to show students how to design the world they live in. 

Our goal is for students to become confident Makers and Designers through the Design Thinking Process, building confidence through these course objectives:
  • Fluency in Design Thinking
  • Meaningful Collaboration
  • Invention Literacy
  • Divergent/Convergent Thinking
Students are exposed to a variety of topics and mediums including but not limited to: woodworking, sewing, computer science, 3D printing, graphic design, prototyping basics, circuitry, toy design, game design, and designing for the future. 

About Ms Rivera
the early stages of making
Ms Rivera is passionate about student-directed learning, the  influence of art and making on student engagement, and cultivating student  ownership of the classroom..  Her core teaching philosophy stems from the belief that no student is more deserving of a quality education than another and that all students deserve the best environment possible to learn in. 

A lifelong artist and maker herself, Ms Rivera was born and raised in Eugene Oregon, and moved to California after high school to obtain her her Bachelor of Visual Arts and Masters in Teaching from the University of San Francisco.  While at USF she was able to study in Budapest, Hungary and travel through eastern Europe to study the cultures of successful schools in all socioeconomic areas. 

She did her student teaching at John O'Connell School of Technology in San Francisco then went on to teach visual art at LPS Richmond.  After four years, she moved to San Diego and began working in Chula Vista, California where she established the art curriculum for the district continuation high school before coming back to LPS inc.