Brandon Wees poses with his grandfather , Mel , who helped him design and build the kiosk .
and install it . At Pine-Richland High School , Alec Muchnok assisted him with the programming and Brandon ’ s grandfather , Mel Wees , helped design and build the kiosk in his woodshop .
The visitor kiosk is equipped with two interactive touchscreens providing information about Eden Hall including history , architecture and more about the green-school concept design . “ It really helps visitors learn more about the school ,” says Brandon . “ There ’ s also interesting information about the school ’ s first principal , Robert Cooper , and a nursery for plants that are native to Pennsylvania in the back of the kiosk .”
Brandon ’ s parents agree that their son has learned a great deal in completing this project . “ He has gotten a real-life perspective on planning and carrying out an independent project , and his organizational skills have been sharpened in addition to his ability to adapt and modify his plans when there are not enough funds within a budget ,” says his mom . “ We are so proud of his ability to head back to the drawing board each time he had to make a change , and enjoyed sharing in his excitement throughout the project . We couldn ’ t be more enthusiastic about what Brandon has accomplished and look forward to what he will build / create next .”
The kiosk was officially installed and operating on Nov . 11 , 2016 — Brandon ' s birthday .
Brandon hopes to become a professional programmer and start his own computer business that would create single-board computers . “ This means an entire computer would exist on a single circuit board ,” he explains . Following his high school studies , he wants to go to Carnegie Mellon University to pursue his passion .
For more information about Chatham University Eden Hall Campus and K-12 school programming , contact Kelly Henderson , Eden Hall K-12 Education Coordinator , at khenderson @ chatham . edu or 412.365.2416 . For more information about the Pine-Richland Opportunities Fund , visit prof-fund . org . ■
Wees with Eden Hall Upper Elementary Gifted Education teachers ( L-R ) Jennifer Kopach and Joanna Sovek .
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