By Geena Monahan—For the North Star Reporter
From automated blinds designed to combat vitamin D deficiency to a hand-cranked Star Wars display recreating an iconic scene, North Attleborough High School students turned the gymnasium into a showcase of creativity, engineering and problem-solving.
The school’s Innovation Pathways Capstone Fair, held Thursday, May 21, highlighted student-built projects while also giving visiting eighth graders and underclassmen a look at the kind of hands-on work they could one day pursue themselves.
Sharanya Valluri, the lone graduating senior in this year’s Innovation Pathways cohort, opened the morning by presenting her yearlong capstone project: a prototype for automated blinds designed to help address vitamin D deficiency by encouraging greater exposure to natural light.
“I was trying to look for automated blinds on the market and decided to make my own,” Valluri said. “People are working from home more now, and I noticed at my house people don’t open the blinds — they just turn on lights because it’s easier.”
Her project uses a photoresistor and Arduino microcontroller to automatically raise and lower blinds based on outside light levels.
“If it’s bright outside, it opens the blinds, and if it’s dark, it rolls them down,” she explained. “The Arduino is basically the brain of it.”
Valluri said the project combined her growing interest in electrical engineering with the hands-on opportunities offered through the Innovation Pathways program, which she joined as a freshman.
“It was relatively new when I joined, but the whole experience seemed really cool and I absolutely loved it,” she said. “I liked the idea of having a senior capstone project and being able to design whatever I wanted.”
She credited Innovation Pathways advisor Max Kinney with helping guide her through the building and wiring process, which she called the most challenging part of the project. Valluri will attend University of Massachusetts Lowell this fall to study electrical engineering.
Preparing younger students
While Valluri’s project served as the centerpiece of the fair, the event also featured work from Engineering 1 and Engineering 2 students.
Stacia Williams, North Attleborough’s science curriculum instructional leader, said organizers wanted to maintain the momentum from last year’s fair, while preparing younger students for future capstone presentations by inviting other classes for the first time.
“All of the Engineering 1 students here will be seniors in the Innovation Pathways program next year,” Williams said. “We wanted to give them the fair experience and get them used to talking about the design process and presenting their work.”
Engineering 1 students created automata boxes — interactive mechanical displays powered by hand-cranked moving parts — each with its own theme and design.
Junior Zach LaPointe built a Star Wars-themed automata scene recreating the moment when Yoda lifts Luke Skywalker’s X-wing fighter from the swamp in “The Empire Strikes Back.”
“It’s one of my favorite movies, and definitely an iconic scene,” LaPointe said.
The project required him to combine computer modeling with hands-on fabrication, including modifying a 3D-printed X-wing model so it could properly attach to the moving mechanism.
“That was probably the toughest thing to figure out,” he said.
Other students took more personalized approaches to their designs. Junior Rachel [last name not given] created a Snoopy and Woodstock-themed display after deciding her original sailboat concept was too broad.
Rachel said she joined the program knowing she wanted to pursue engineering, though she is still exploring which specialty interests.
“I thought if I joined the program it would help me get a sense of what I want to do,” she said. “I feel like it has helped me a bit. I’m leaning toward aerospace now.”
Hands-on learning
Meanwhile, Engineering 2 seniors Frankie Strachan, Nathan Rivera, and Conor Casey collaborated on an “AutoGolf Slingshot” project designed to launch golf balls into cups positioned at three different distances.
Their device used hydraulics to adjust launch angle and distance, while LED lights and a buzzer signaled successful shots.
Williams said the program’s emphasis on hands-on learning continues to attract students with a wide range of interests and experience levels.
“They’re a great group of kids and all over the spectrum of abilities and experience,” she said.
Looking ahead, Williams said the district hopes to expand the program further, potentially adding a biomedical pathway alongside the engineering track.
“We have students who gravitate toward biomedical sciences and students who gravitate toward engineering,” Williams said. “This gives a lot of hands-on opportunities, especially for students who are hands-on learners.”