Holly van Weezendonk Starts Up Kingston High School’s New Lego Club
In January of 2023, Holly van Weezendonk reached out to us through a grant application to see if we could provide funding to help her form a new Lego club at Kingston High School. We agreed to provide some initial funding for the new club and later discovered that others in the community also stepped up to help out.
The funding provided by NKSF helped purchase new Lego kits that ranged in skill level from beginner to advanced. The new kits included several educational structures including the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Eiffel Tower, a lighthouse, a rollercoaster, and a globe, sparking curiosity in historical buildings, modern structures, and geography. A Lego Technics Ford Mustang automobile kit and a Lego Technics engine challenged students to build more complex machines, while other kids found creative outlets with kits that allowed them to build from popular fantasy franchises such as Star Wars, Transformers as well as Lego's own fantasy castles, cities.
The North Kitsap School District community stepped up and contributed as well. Several Harry Potter kits were donated by another former KHS graduate’s family, and Viking City Bricks in Poulsbo donated a bin full of Legos for free-build activities. Holly herself donated her saved up Visa rewards points to purchase sets for the club.
Within a couple months after getting the club started, the KHS students were lined up to participate. A waiting list for Fun Activity Fridays and Advisory periods was developed due to the high demand. The kids engaged in encouraging and creative collaboration with one another while designing and building during both the school hours and after school club meetings. Since formation of the club, Holly and her students have also begun developing group projects for the larger sets where each member is responsible for a part of the build, further encouraging collaboration.