The Amp Lab

By Tabitha Ervin,
Editorial Director

What if students were challenged to solve real problems for real people? Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, the Amp Lab at Electric Works gives four hundred 11th and 12th graders from the five area High Schools within Fort Wayne Community Schools the opportunity to enhance their educational experience. Students will spend half the day at their comprehensive high school taking core classes and half their day at Amp Lab bringing their learning to life!

We exist to create opportunities for students to explore their passions, apply their talents, and make our community a better place. The Amp Lab is a unique learning environment built for students of diverse backgrounds to gain real-world experience in an innovative and agile setting. https://www.amplabfwcs.com/

The new Amp Lab Project kicked off the year on August 10 with about 360 11th and 12th grade students from the five Fort Wayne Community High Schools. These students will spend the school year in this brand new environment on the Electric Works campus for half days learning and creating in this amazing hands-on space. I was able to attend the Open House before the Amp Lab opened and got to catch up with the Director of the Lab, Riley Johnson. Riley worked on the west coast in the Bay area more recently and has done a lot with progressive education models. He is originally from Fort Wayne and was super excited to return to his home community and help make the Amp Lab a reality for local students. He shared that the project was a conglomeration of ideals all brought together to create this dynamic “supercharged” learning environment for our students.

Riley shared that the environment is open-ended for students to explore whatever their many interests may be and the opportunity for community partners to engage in learning with the students is part of the learning. Several of the new teachers are actually industry professionals from specific fields who have transitioned to become teachers for the Amp Lab. The staff team of 15 is the best of the best with a diversity of backgrounds that will strengthen the experience of each student.

Ervin: I am so excited about this for our students in FWCS! What makes this opportunity special for the students?

Johnson: It has been set up as a think tank launchpad for students to inwardly discover problems and pursue solutions as well as outwardly connect with community partners plus local businesses and organizations. Students will be able to practice and learn how to be entrepreneurs and business leaders as well as do hands-on research and development. I also look at this opportunity as “portable currency” that students can take with them as they engage in new skills, relationships and experiences together.

Ervin: So how were these students selected?

Johnson: There is a lottery application process for all 5 FWCS and we have capacity to serve 400 total students. Last year students were able to apply or their counselor or parent recommended they look into it as an option and it had to fit into their schedule. We were able to get everyone in who applied and get all students off the waitlist.

Ervin: How was the first week of school?

Johnson: I would say positive chaos with students moving around and instructors getting into the groove. The first few days were about exploring themselves and each other and allowing them to understand that they can take ownership of their journey. I was blown away and excited about the buy-in of the students! For the second week, they get their first challenge around solving a real problem as well as understanding and building empathy.

Ervin: This is great! Can’t wait until my 3rd grader has a shot at attending the Amp Lab! I think she would love it!

Johnson: Yes my son wants to come to work with Daddy now too!

Ervin: What else can you share with us as we close our time today?

Johnson: I would say this group is an amazing representation of diversity in the city, we are 53% female students and 62% non white students. They get to attend all year with the possibility to come back a second year to our Launch Pad experience. The Launch Pad experience will be for those students who want to do a deep dive on their idea/project and maybe launch a business, do an internship or some deeper research. This experience alone will help our students explore various possibilities once they graduate. These youth get to discover interests and talents they maybe never knew they had through their experiences at Amp Lab.

Ervin: Thank you for your time today and I look forward to reconnecting at the top of next year to see what kinds of amazing things happened this first semester!

*Also included are a few pictures from the Amp Lab open house!