CLARK the ‘Super Kitty’
S.T.E.M. Education Meets the Real World
By Stacia Harris, Assistant Director of Communications
On the day Clark was introduced to Mr. Todd’s
students, there was an air of excitement in
the classroom punctuated by lots of “oohs”
and “aahs” and the cute factor was off
the charts! But the students were quick
to get down to business. They took a close
look at Clark’s current wheelchair and had
plenty of questions for his foster mom. As
part of this engineering assignment, they
needed to hear exactly what issues Clark
was facing, so they could come up with
effective solutions.
“I was looking at how his feet were placed
and how they were sliding off,” said sixth
grader Hayli Owens, “and I was thinking
that on wheelchairs for people they have
cuffs for your feet. I was thinking we could
put an extension like that on Clark’s cart.”
C
lark the “Super Kitty” is changing the way our students
learn. His is an unusual tale of a chance encounter
turning into a unique classroom project. Christopher Todd,
a “Project Lead the Way” teacher at Cane Creek Middle
School met Clark and his foster mom at a local pet store.
One-year-old Clark is paralyzed and wheelchair bound,
but he doesn’t let that slow him down. With a wry grin,
Clark’s handler says he truly lives his life with “no limits”.
“He doesn’t have any understanding whatsoever that he is
supposed to be limited; that he’s supposed to be disabled,”
says Clark’s loving foster mom Terry Grossman.
During the chance encounter at the pet store, Ms. Grossman
and Mr. Todd spent some time talking about the challenges
Clark faced trying to use a wheelchair that did not fit him,
which was prone to tipping over and the wheels would
sometimes rub his tail.
Mr. Todd, an engineer by trade, knew an educational
opportunity when he saw one! He knew he could guide his
students into figuring out a way to improve Clark’s mobility
and quality of life, while using many of the manufacturing
principles the students had been studying. “I have a whole
class of children learning about engineering. This would
be a great tie-in with that,” he said.
Ms. Grossman was open to the idea of introducing Clark
to Mr. Todd’s class and seeing if they could put their math
and engineering skills to good use- to help an animal in
need. “What engineers do is solve problems, and this is a
problem that is very tangible,” says Mr. Todd.
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“What engineers do is solve
problems, and this is a problem
that is very tangible.”
This would be one of many ideas the students came up
with to build a better wheelchair for Clark. The next day
students came to class ready to brainstorm more ideas.
They suggested different wheels and side bars for better
support and using material like aluminum or carbon fiber,
which would be light, but strong. Their enthusiasm was
the fuel that kept them focused and helped them apply
what they had been learning in class to this real-world
problem. “The coolest part about this project is we get
to, as kids and not anywhere close to being professionals,
make this [wheelchair] for him,” said Owens.
In the following weeks and under the watchful eye of Mr.
Todd, the students decided on a design and were ready to
start building a prototype. The concept they chose is all
terrain wheels and adjustable PVC pipe. It is lightweight
and can extend as Clark continues to grow.
Sixth grader Sutton Walker was a little intimidated in the
early stages of this project, “but since we’ve made it this
far, it feels like a big accomplishment,” she said.
The PVC prototype is just the first draft of the wheelchair.
The students will see how it fits Clark now and then