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A small piece of furniture helped Sandia Prep students make a big difference for families in need.

During the first semester, students in the Industrial Design class designed and built step stools that were later donated to Saranam, a local organization dedicated to “empowering families to end their homelessness and poverty through housing, education and supportive community.”

Industrial Design is one of Prep’s Impact Classes, part of the school’s Impact Lab -- an innovative hub for community engagement and real-world learning. Open to students in grades 6-12, the program goes beyond traditional community service by teaching leadership, problem-solving, and collaboration through hands-on projects and partnerships with local organizations.

The idea for the stools grew out of teacher Waseem Touma’s connection with Sunny Holmes, community engagement coordinator at Saranam.

“I remembered she mentioned something about the families there having little ones and could use step stools,” he recalled.

Students began by learning how to safely use classroom machinery and how to design, mill, assemble, and finish their pieces with stain or paint. But the project required more than technical skill -- it demanded empathy and thoughtful design.

“They had to take into consideration who it was for, so being for kids, it had to be light enough to lift, no sharp edges, handles to carry, and stable enough for the parent to use as well,” Touma explained. “With all the requirements needed, they still had the opportunity to design it how they wanted, leading to individually designed step stools instead of 15 identical pieces.”

Before building the final versions, students created half-scale models to refine their ideas and techniques. The mini stools were not only practical prototypes -- they were also “really cute!” he proclaimed. After testing and revising their designs, students scaled them up to create full-sized, functional pieces that blended craftsmanship with creativity.

“For me, the key to these impact classes is to give back to the community,” Touma said.

For several students, the experience proved more meaningful than they anticipated.

“I think the project was more meaningful than I expected at the start,” said sophomore Keegan Price ’28. “I’m not always super into hands-on projects, but knowing it had a real purpose made it different.”

Realizing that his step stool could help someone reach a cabinet or make it easier for a child to reach the sink to wash their hands was especially gratifying, Price added.

“It also showed me that impact doesn’t always have to be something big or dramatic -- sometimes it’s just about making something solid, useful, and safe for someone else,” he said.

Senior Addyson Combs ’26 said the project “taught me to think critically and view the designs of the stool from a child's perspective and an adult's at the same time, to ensure that it will be a functional one for families.”

Having a clear purpose kept her motivated throughout the process.

“I hope that as a class we learned about remembering the meaning behind why we made these stools and will keep that in mind for future projects, that no matter the challenges, it will be worth it because we are doing it for a good cause,” she said.

Sophomore Ingrid Hurley ’28 said she valued learning more about Saranam’s mission.

“I hope this project will impact the families by giving them furniture for their houses and also by giving them a little bit of hope through knowing that the community is there for them and wants to help them out in any way possible,” she said.

Hurley also appreciated the opportunity to immediately apply new skills in a meaningful way.

“I am very glad we are using the class to connect the woodworking skills we learned to actually help out the community in need,” she said.