Director: Dave Valenzuela – david.vaelzneual@threerivers.k12.or.us
Illinois Valley High School – grades 9-12, Fleming Middle School – grades 6-8,
Lincoln Savage Middle School – grades 6-8

In addition to tutoring assistance for students, the Three Rivers programs offer a wide variety of classes ranging from archery, cooking, art exploration, drama and more. Below are descriptions of three of the classes offered.

3D Printing at Illinois Valley High School

In the 3D printing class, computer designed objects that only exist as data are transformed into real objects before

the students’ eyes. The main focus is to familiarize students with the industrial design process as 3D printing has become an industry standard method of creating product demos, one off unique items or custom parts. The class focuses on learning the following: how to operate 3d printers through the computer control software, prepping a printer, changing the plastic the printer uses, programming the correct settings for different plastics, and learning how to use computer design software to create objects to be 3D printed.

Classes like ours exist because the cost of 3D printers has dropped in the past decade from ten thousand dollar machines to as low as a few hundred dollars.  3D printing is actually an inexpensive process with completed parts costing mere pennies. However, the trade-off for the versatility and low cost of 3D printing is time; prints may take as long as 24 hours for large complex objects and smaller ones usually take around an hour. Luckily, we have gotten multiple low cost printers to help reduce the backlog of objects waiting to be printed ensuring every student gets a turn on a 3D printer.

DJ Madness at Fleming Middle School

DJ Madness is an opportunity for students to begin to tune in to their "music sense" and become an energized disc jockey. Through dissecting musical productions by bass, tempo, and melody, these DJ's in training begin to understand how a song is constructed. In addition to learning the different keys songs are produced in, mashups can begin to be achieved as well. Of course, the philosophy of DJ’ing is only as entertaining as the song being analyzed. Therefore, the final stage of developing their DJ instincts is performing mashups and remixes on a DDJ-SX2 while using all the "props" that come with the profession. The ultimate goal of DJ Madness: to inspire students to find their passion in music and create insanely creative and bass dropping renditions. ::drop the mic::

Media Club at Lincoln Savage Middle School

Students learn techniques of film and picture taking, using different types of cameras.  They learn about setting up shots, different camera angles and lighting techniques to improve the quality of the pictures and videos they take.  Students learn how to edit pictures using different programs that help them enhance the quality of the pictures they take or focus in on a particular portion of the image they took.  They learn how to create videos from the films they take by story boarding and using different editing programs that help them create titles, transitions and credits for their films as well as adding music, backgrounds and filters. 

Students set up file folders on computers to store their recordings and for review of their work. They learn how to set up a studio for filming green screen videos and public service announcements.  Students write scripts, edit scripts, use props, direct and act in their own productions.  The film “It’s Ok” is a culmination of all of the knowledge they have accumulated through this course of instruction.