Partnering with Dell Alienware, MV Students Create Virtual Reality Lab

Nov 1, 2017 | All School, Impact, Innovation, Podcast, Share the Well, Upper School News

Demonstrating yet again how Mount Vernon turns vision into reality, a group of Upper School students and their teacher are taking the first steps to create a state-of-the-art Virtual Reality Lab for the School.
It all began last year. After discovering the incredible impact VR can have on learning, MV teacher Marie Graham and a group of students, Justin Blumencranz, Robbie Long, Chris Hardy, Alec Johnson, and Trey Tiffin came up with a wild idea. They wondered…
What if high school students were given the opportunity to work with leaders in the technology industry, not on school projects, but on projects that have authentic impact and intersect many industries?
It didn’t take long for their wonder to move into action. After conducting extensive research about the industry and exploring how VR could elevate the learning experience of students, Graham reached out to VR experts through social media. Connecting on LinkedIn with representatives at Dell Computer’s Alienware Corporation, she shared her passion and the students’ vision on how a partnership could be a win for students and a win for the Dell Alienware Corporation.
Fast forward to this year…nearly $80,000 worth of VR equipment began arriving this week. Through this tremendous partnership, the Mount Vernon/Dell Alienware Virtual Reality Lab will be up and running by December.
β€œIt is so exciting to watch our students’ ideas go from dream to reality in partnership with Dell/Alienware. Our young entrepreneurs are ready to face current challenges, work with industry leaders, and make an impact in the world right now. We are helping students learn to lead in the newest fields of technology,” shares Marie Graham.
The Virtual Reality Lab will be an extension of the School’s Maker, Design & Engineering Program. One of the most important reasons why Mount Vernon has created and continues to build this program has to do with the School’s fundamental imperative that school should reflect real life.