Aledo

Aledo High School Engineering Students Design Hands-Free Sanitizing Stations

The winning prototype features PVC pipe, a wood foot pedal and rubber bands

NBCUniversal, Inc.

The engineering class at Aledo High School was buzzing with activity Tuesday morning. Some students were on computers, others were busy measuring and sawing. They were all working on a hands-on assignment to design and manufacture hands-free hand sanitizing stations.

"We were talking about one word that was going to define your school year, and I thought that 'opportunity' was a good word for the year," engineering teacher Kyle Christensen said. "This is a good year for problem solvers."

"We will have problems... in life and we're going to need to find unique solutions to fix those," senior engineering student Karson Younger said.

Younger designed the winning prototype with his team: an economical dispenser made from PVC pipe, a wood foot pedal and rubber bands for spring action.

"Everything on here is homemade," freshman engineering student Payton Weaver said, demonstrating her more expensive steel model. "A lot of my friends right now are having to deal with quarantining for two weeks, not being able to do sports, and so this has shown me how safe we have to be through this time."

The students will be making Younger's prototype to put in 80 classrooms around Aledo High School.

"It's definitely taught me that everything may be bad, but there's always a way to fix it," Younger said. "Maybe it's small, like creating hand sanitizers for your school. And maybe it's big, like finding the cure."

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