Summer at TMC: Nine Years of Creativity, Curiosity, and Community with Phoenix-Talent Schools

There are certain things that just feel like summer to me. Popsicles melting a little too fast. Long evenings outside. The smell of sunscreen and fresh-cut grass.

And here at Talent Maker City? Summer sounds like laughter, excited shouts of "It worked!,” the hum of a sewing machine, the whirr of a lathe, the clank of a wrench on a bike, and the clamoring of a group of students scrambling to build a catapult.

Catapult Camp with instructors Brian, Joseph and Victor (2024)

Our summer camps bring all of the feels. Our partnership with Phoenix-Talent Schools has been incredibly special to me - not only because it was one of our earliest community partnerships, but because they believed in us when Talent Maker City was still mostly an idea with a lot of enthusiasm behind it.  I often think back to those first years of summer camps and the foundation that was laid beforehand in the eight wonderful years I spent teaching health at Talent Middle School alongside amazing educators and administrators.  Before TMC was a twinkle in the eye, a groundwork of trust was being built. 

And we've been creating summer magic together ever since.

Learning Through Curiosity

Over the years, we've designed camps that have invited students to imagine, build, experiment, create, and occasionally make a glorious mess.

TMC partnered with Darryl Thomas and Code Dance Create.   Students programmed rhythmic blinking lights and learned hip-hop dance moves. (2022)

We've built Rube Goldberg machines that sent marbles tumbling, pulleys spinning, and students into fits of laughter.

We've explored robotics and engineering - programming vests to light up in time to hip-hop music. 

We’ve tinkered, redesigned, and discovered that sometimes the best learning comes from trying something that doesn't quite work the first time.

At our infamous CSI Camp, students became forensic investigators, analyzing fingerprints, measuring footprints, interviewing suspects, and solving mysteries involving a very convincing "bloody crime scene" and a rather unfortunate "victim." The enthusiasm for scientific investigation was ‘solid evidence’ of how hands-on learning inspires. 

CSI Forensics Camp with TMC instructor, Heather (2018)

Adjusting the trucks on a hand-built skateboard with custom paint job (2019)

Students have built skateboards from scratch, learning measurement, geometry, and precision while creating something they were genuinely excited to ride.

We've explored health and wellness by bringing in guest speakers, we created stop-motion videos, made quilts, designed mosaics, and even built ukuleles.

We've welded manzanita branch sculptures.

We've painted community murals. 

We've built solar cars and windmills. 

We've turned pens on the lathe.

And yes, we once built go-karts from scratch and raced them around the middle school track. 

Go-Kart Camp with TMC instructor, Hector. (2021)

We cover a wide range of activities, yet somehow, it all makes perfect sense in the world of TMC.

Summer 2026: Preparing for 300 Young Makers

This summer, we're working with nearly 300 students from kindergarten through ninth grade, and preparations have been underway for months. 

By the time students arrive, an incredible amount of behind-the-scenes work has already happened. 

We've recruited and trained instructors, ensured everyone is current on First Aid and CPR certification (thank you, Carolena!), completed Mandatory Reporter training (thanks to Jackson County Sexual Assault Response Team!) and we’ve revisited and deepened our trauma-informed knowledge and practices that help make TMC feel safe, welcoming, and joyful for every student.

All of this is because while camps are full of fun, silliness, and creativity, we know that feeling safe and supported is what truly allows young people to learn, take risks, and thrive. 

TMC Instructor Sara taking a break with her students. (2025)

This year, our youngest makers will dive into science experiments, engineering challenges, and creative projects (including 3D printing miniature figures that look just like themselves!).  

Our older students will learn by doing - bike repair and maintenance, sewing a mini quilt, screenprinting their own designs, creating custom beaded bracelets, and so much more! 

Creativity During Uncertain Times

One of the things I'm most proud of is that during COVID, we didn't stop creating together. Instead, we got creative. 

Working with K–8 students, we delivered STEAM kits directly to students' homes, transforming driveways, kitchens, and backyards into tiny makerspaces.

Our youngest students built garden beds and planted gardens. We delivered lumber, soil, Talent Tomato plants, and all.

Volunteer Lawson and our interns with loaded soil and garden bed parts to be delivered to students’ homes. (2020)

Happy student after constructing his garden bed and planting his tomatoes. 

They sewed pocket monsters. 

They programmed robots.

They learned CNC design and built speakers remotely, with our team fabricating and delivering finished components.

Students became treasure hunters, receiving metal detectors and using mathematical clues through triangulation to find hidden coins that we had secretly planted near their homes.

We even had students designing and 3D printing water bottle rocket nose cones.

Each day, students watched short instructional videos, then joined their instructors on Zoom in the evenings to share progress, troubleshoot challenges, and celebrate completed projects.

Looking back, it still feels a little unbelievable.  

And honestly? A little magical.

Why Summer Camps Matter

I remember teaching some of our earliest camps with Emily, including a NASA-inspired mapping camp where students manipulated sand in a virtual sandbox and watched topography shift in real time as mountains and valleys appeared beneath their fingertips.

NASA mapping camp - Mt.Shasta demo (2018)

That sense of wonder has never left me. Summer camps have always been about more than projects. They're about giving young people space to explore who they are.

To be curious. To try something new. To laugh. To fail safely. To make friends. To discover they can build something they never imagined they could.

Kids in the summer are different.

They're hilarious, creative, endlessly curious, and wonderfully unfiltered.

And every year they remind us why this work matters so much.

To Phoenix-Talent Schools - thank you for believing in us from the beginning and for continuing to trust us with your students.

To our incredible instructors, staff, and families -thank you for helping create summers filled with creativity, confidence, and connection.

And to the students who show up ready to experiment, imagine, and build alongside us each year - thank you for making summer at TMC one of the best parts of our year.

I leave these camps feeling just as inspired as I hope our students do. Thanks for taking a peek inside one of my favorite parts of the year. 

I hope you'll stop by this summer to see what our young makers are creating - we’ll be showcasing their work at this month’s Art Walk on July 24th.  (Maybe you can say hello to my 3D-printed mini-me while you're here - it’s similar to the ones the students are making with our instructor, Aiden). 

With gratitude,
Alli

 Thanks for being part of our story and community — together we're building a more connected, creative, and resilient place through hands-on making.

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2026 June Making Headlines: Building Connection, Creativity, and Confidence at New Bridge High School

Since 2018, Talent Maker City instructors have traveled to Grants Pass each week to work alongside the young men at New Bridge High School, part of the Oregon Youth Authority school system. New Bridge serves students who are navigating significant challenges while continuing their education and preparing for what comes next in life.

Over the years, this partnership has grown into something deeply meaningful for our team.

**Out of care and respect for the privacy of the young men at New Bridge, we’re limited in the photos we can share - but this partnership has been full of creativity, growth, and meaningful connection over the years.

I still remember some of our earliest projects at New Bridge. We were building garden beds, planting vegetables and pollinator habitat, and introducing students to solar energy through hands-on installation projects. What began as a weekly educational program quickly became something much deeper. Year after year, we kept showing up, and so did the students. Relationships formed. Trust grew. And over time, New Bridge became one of the partnerships that helped shape not only Talent Maker City, but also my understanding of what education can be when it is rooted in creativity, consistency, and care.

Of course, we’ve taught technical skills - construction, robotics, screenprinting, rocketry, and design - but the truth is, we’ve learned just as much from the students there as they’ve learned from us.

We’ve learned about resilience.
About patience.
About humor in difficult moments.
About the importance of being seen and trusted.

And we’ve seen firsthand what can happen when young people are given opportunities to create, problem solve, and work together in meaningful ways.

Learning by Doing

One of the things we love most about our partnership with New Bridge is that the learning is always hands-on.

Together, we’ve built raised garden beds and planted organic food and native pollinator gardens - teaching students about growing food, ecological stewardship, and the critical role pollinators play in our ecosystems.

We’ve built a large storage shed on site, introducing students to basic construction skills, measuring, framing, teamwork, and tool safety.

We’ve explored robotics and rocketry, using 3D printers to prototype and refine designs through experimentation and iteration.

We helped establish their screenprinting setup and taught students the creative and technical side of printmaking - while also exploring something deeper through art: balance, patience, focus, and care.

One especially memorable collaboration came through our partnership with True South Solar, where students learned the basics of solar installation using demonstration roofing and panels while exploring introductory electrical wiring concepts.

These projects aren’t just about learning skills. They’re about helping students experience themselves as capable, creative, and connected.

Ry Heller from True South Solar demonstrating how to install solar panels at NBHS in 2019.

Art, Experimentation, and Creative Growth

This year, two incredible TMC instructors, Carlos and Amy, have been leading much of the programming at New Bridge.

Together, they’ve focused heavily on art-based programming while continuing to push their own creative practices as artists and educators. This year they both dove into experimenting with screenprinting on clay, then brought that process directly into the classroom there to share with students.

The result was a collaborative mosaic wall hanging that now reflects and celebrates the partnership between New Bridge and Talent Maker City.

That piece feels symbolic of the work itself: many hands, many stories, many experiences - all coming together to create something meaningful. 

Carlos and Amy with the students at NBHS showing off their artwork

Amy shared, “Working with students at New Bridge High School has influenced my practice as an artist in many ways. In the beginning of the term Carlos and I were thinking of ideas of how we could make a long term project using clay tiles using various techniques to create an installation at the school. This project would push our ceramic skills and give us the opportunity for growth in the medium. Feeling a little vulnerable as we worked on the project opened up opportunities for the students to ask questions and be curious about the process.

One thing I noticed about working with clay is that it was about connection. Connecting with the sensory and the physical activity of the hands allows for a quiet focus that allows for increased attention that can help calm the mind.” 

A quieter mind is something we all could use a little bit more of.

The Power of Creative Connection

When people think about workforce development or educational programming, they often focus only on technical skills.

But the work happening at New Bridge reminds us again and again that creativity, connection, and belonging matter just as much.

Sometimes growth looks like learning to safely use a drill or driver.
Sometimes it looks like designing a rocket fin on a 3D printer.
Sometimes it looks like discovering pride in a finished print or mosaic tile.

And sometimes it simply looks like showing up week after week and building trust together over time.

As I reflect on this partnership, I find myself thinking less about the projects we've completed and more about the people we've met along the way. The most important thing we've built together has always been relationships.

The young men at New Bridge have taught us as much as we've taught them. They have challenged us to be better educators, better listeners, and more patient humans. They have reminded us that growth is rarely linear, that creativity can open doors where words sometimes cannot, and that every person deserves opportunities to learn, contribute, and be seen for their strengths.

For me personally, this partnership has been one of the most meaningful parts of our work here at TMC. It has been a privilege to witness moments of confidence, curiosity, and pride emerge through making, often when they were least expected.

Thank you to the students, staff, and families who have shared this journey with us. We are honored to be a small part of your story, just as you have become an important part of ours.

We can't wait to see what we build together next.

With gratitude,

~Alli 

Thanks for being part of our story and community - together we’re building a more connected, creative, and resilient place through hands-on making.