students at laser cutter

Positivity has a scent at Timberland High, and it smells like a campfire.

Last year, school librarian Tamara Brown and others at Timberland High began to ponder a vision of students driving a positive school culture not only via programs like Leader In Me, but also with tangible exchanges of positivity.

From that vision, the objective allowing students to create "Student Uplift Discs" was born.

Funded by a grant from Santee Cooper and with the help of Berkeley County School District instructional technologists, students recently began making those discs and bringing the idea to life. Using a laser cutter and wood, students are burning positive messages into discs they hold, pocket and exchange.

laser cutterThe goal, Brown said, is to have students on campus thinking more positively, behaving more positively and reaching higher levels of academic achievement.

"If you see a friend that's down, you can provide them with your disc to help them strive for greatness or at the least, help them feel better,” she said.

The full vision is that eventually all students will create discs, read them each morning and kick off their day in a productive way. Negative thoughts, replaced by positive ones.

Laser Cutter

Laser Cutter