Next Gen of “Makers” Creating at Bay Meadows

Not only is May Bike Month, but it also might be Maker Month. With San Mateo’s Innovation Week featuring cutting edge entrepreneurship and the annual Maker Faire camped out at the Event Center, our neighborhood is becoming a “makerhood.”

We think some of the coolest makers of all are studying and creating right at Bay Meadows. This month, the Bay Meadows Nueva School campus erupted in celebration as over 150 ninth and tenth grade students presented the culmination of year-long research into personal passions known as the Quest project. From veterinary medicine to programming, martial arts to mixed media, the subject matter of the projects on display was stunning. See a full index of every project here.

Devon H. (grade 9): Devon developed the Maji Mobile, an all-terrain stroller to help women in Africa move water and their children. "I wanted to help them decontaminate the water and make it easier on their bodies as they hike between their homes and the water source."

Devon H. (grade 9): Devon developed the Maji Mobile, an all-terrain stroller to help women in Africa move water and their children. “I wanted to help them decontaminate the water and make it easier on their bodies as they hike between their homes and the water source.”

Nueva Quest gives students the unique opportunity to pursue their own interests throughout their four years of high school. Working with their advisors and Nueva Quest teachers to identify and craft their own personal in-depth inquiry in a self-selected area of evolving passion or in pursuit of a deep question, they may elect to pursue one field of study over four years or to frame and complete a series of different Quests, each taking one or more years.

Mentors, online resources, and internships support them in their improved mastery in their areas of passion while teaching them how to recruit mentors and navigate in the real world.

Visit Nueva School for more highlights from this year’s projects. In the meantime, explore a catalog of one-page project summaries.

Griffin T. (grade 10): "Not your average pen" was Griffin's first attempt at building a robot, a very positive experience that he says "sparked a drive in me that will be impossible to put out."

Griffin T. (grade 10): “Not your average pen” was Griffin’s first attempt at building a robot, a very positive experience that he says “sparked a drive in me that will be impossible to put out.”

Looking for a great place to ride? Bay Meadows and the surrounding San Mateo area are bike friendly and offer many different paths to ride and sights to see. We even have a convenient bike map that you can download here, so you can decide exactly where to ride. Some resident favorites include the Bay Trail as well as Coyote Point Park