Shawnee Mission South students design backpack tags for Rosehill first graders

A young girl with brown hair hugs an older girl with green glasses and headphones on her neck.
Shawnee Mission South students design backpack tags for Rosehill first graders
Shawnee Mission School District

“What do you think your nametag is going to look like?”

“My name,” said a first-grade boy, shrugging his shoulders before running off in his camo Crocs to join his giggling Rosehill Elementary classmates.

The six and seven-year-olds of Megan Null’s first-grade classroom impatiently shuffled their bright orange Sketchers and glittery red cowgirl boots, waiting for their high school buddies to arrive on Nov. 18 at 9:45 am.

“I just saw the bus pull up,” Null said, her students running to press their faces against the cold glass of the classroom window. 

One of the first assignments Shawnee Mission School District (SMSD) Intro to Engineering students must complete is to design and 3D print a backpack tag, which are small purple plastic key chains. 

Last year, Shawnee Mission South engineering teacher, Julie Conrad, decided to make the project a little more personal for her students. She sent emails to the first-grade teachers at Rosehill and asked if her students could collaborate with their students and make customized backpack tags for them. 

“It’s super easy and fun,” Null said. “Doing anything with a high schooler is really cool for them. The kids love it.”

The South students came to Rosehill in mid-October to interview their clients and find out what they liked. While crouching over 2 ft. tall tables, the engineering students sketched designs like Hello Kitty and the sword from “The Legend of Zelda.” 

Afterwards, they generated concepts and created their models in Fusion 360, software used for mechanical modeling, before bringing them to life with a 3D printer in the engineering classroom.

“I really like designing things,” South sophomore Juliette Fernan said. “I want to be an architect in the future. Making things for consumers is an important part of that.”

Fernan created a 3D Hello Kitty keychain that she hand-painted, for Aria, her first grader.

“I can’t believe you painted that!” Aria said, before wrapping Fernan in a tight hug. 

Conrad said she’s never seen so many students participate in one project.

“I have two hours of Intro to Engineering,” Conrad said. “But every single person, it doesn’t matter what their grade was, made a nametag for their first grader. That says a lot, because all the students were very engaged, and it was meaningful to them.”

The first graders watched with wide eyes as the big kids walked in carrying small green gift bags. The high schoolers helped attach the tags to their client’s backpack and listened with smiles as they chatted about football, or how excited they were for their class party later. 

“I was worried that [the South students] weren’t going to reach out again,” Null said. “I’m glad they did.”

This partnership between South students and Rosehill first graders is classified as a Client Connected project. It’s part of SMSD’s Real World Learning initiative, which aims to prepare students for college and careers and support skill development connected to SMSD’s Portrait of a Graduate.

Conrad wants to continue implementing this part of the project. 

“I shared some of the information with other high schools, saying ‘Hey, if you wanna do this…,” Conrad said. “It takes a little bit of work, but I enjoy doing it for my high school students. I like seeing how happy they are. I mean, they’re so eager to do it for the kids.”

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