Canyon ISD will host iCreate Saturday, April 6, from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Canyon High School. Students in grades K-12 will display creative projects such as cooking, engineering, wood and metal working, crafts, robotics, pottery, art and other talents and interests to the community. The event is free for the public.

iCreate’s theme this year is ‘Be Internet Awesome.’ Students can register through the iCreate website or email [email protected] for more information. Hamburgers, hot dogs and a vegetarian option will be provided for students who are presenting projects. 

“We started iCreate last year, and it went way better than we expected,” Canyon ISD Chief Technology Officer Michael Keough said. “It was the first event of its kind in a school in the Panhandle, and we got great feedback from the community and vendors like Google. They told us it was one of the best programs they have seen a school have. This year we wanted to incorporate the theme of ‘Being Internet Awesome.’ Students don’t have to adopt the theme in their project, however, if they can incorporate it, the idea is to teach internet safety through gaming. We will be showcasing that at the event.”

Keough said the goal of iCreate is to showcase the individuality and various interests of Canyon ISD students while encouraging student-led initiatives. For examples of previous projects, students can watch the following video.

“I got the idea for iCreate when I went to a conference that was set up kind of like how we do iCreate,” Keough said. “I got to see new types of technology, and interact with the technology and vendors. After that, I thought about how a lot of our students have interesting projects out of school, and exciting hobbies people don’t know those students may be good at.  So, the idea behind iCreate was to give these students recognition. Not only for what they are doing in regard to academics, but also what they are doing at home.”

Keough said iCreate can benefit students by giving them an opportunity to network with companies such as Google, Dell and Promethean, which will be attending the event.

“These are multi-million dollar companies and some of our students may be interested in working for them someday,” Keough said. “This is an opportunity for students to get to know these companies and learn what they are about and is a great chance for students to start a conversation and send themselves down a career path towards those companies like Google.”

Some activities in which students can participate include virtual and augmented reality and an escape/breakout room by Promethean. Students can use the Twitter and Instagram hashtags #iCreateCISD and #BeInternetAwesome to share their experiences.

“There are only four sessions available for the escape room,” Keough said. “Five students will be allowed per session, and since it is very limited, it will be first come, first serve for whoever signs up. Students below ninth grade will not be allowed to participate in the escape room.”

Keough said students can work in groups and are allowed to work on more than one project.

“We hope students bring projects they care about, along with learning initiatives, interests and anything else they can build or present to the public,” Keough said. “We have students who show stuff off from baking all the way to students who are pouring liquid molds out of metal. Every student is different and has different interests. And for iCreate, we are coming together and celebrating the individuality of Canyon ISD.”