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It's all coming up right now on Alabama STEM Explorers.

Hi welcome to Alabama STEM explorers Im Mitch.

And I'm here today at Chickasaw High School at a life changers class with So what is a life changers class?

Well, actually, this is a group of very industrial students that will meet after school.

They formed a club called Life Changer Manufacturing, because one of the things that we have discovered is 80% of all amputee is live in developing countries.

Once the students heard that statistic, they were like, man, that's almost all of them.

Into modern prosthetics today cost between 20 and $60,000 are very expensive, and people in developing countries are looking to make 5 to $10 a day.

So the students have created a leg.

Matter of fact, the black parts that you see here, students are working on behind us.

These are 3D printed right here in the classroom.

And then we've got about 12 other schools around the country that partner with us on this task.

We don't have a machine shop here, so we've got a school up in Schaumburg, Illinois, that actually makes a leg for.

So it's kind of like just in time manufacturing where we take everybody, all these different schools that's got different expertize, levels and we do just in time manufacturing bring in the parts the students here behind you actually print the parts and then we'll assemble them together.

That's cool.

So tell me about some of the trips you guys made.

Well, we've taken several trips.

The students have gone with me to Honduras.

e been to El Salvador and Guatemala.

We've been to Mexico.

We're coming up and going to possibly Nicaragua coming up this summer.

That is cool.

How many how many kids are involved in this?

Well, over the past, this is our third year.

So we've probably had 30 or 40 students that just come in and out throughout the school year.

Right.

But we've got three students that have been very, very active and gone on most all the trips together.

So they've put together a nice bond.

That's cool.

And what's like involved in a trip?

Well, the trips we we tend to or we try to take at least ten legs with us on each trip.

We don't know what we're going to run into.

The reason why we take ten legs is because travel traveling with these is very, very difficult.

We actually take these things unassembled with us into country because bringing in me and if we have fully assembled legs, all of a sudden it, it, you know, customs wants to know what's going on, what we're doing.

But if they're unassembled, it helps us get through there a little easier.

But one of our partners on this trip is Dr. Albert Allen.

His title is Lord of Crofton.

And Dr. Allen actually helps us arrange these trips.

We go into very remote areas, into these countries.

We we meet at churches because the church is that's the community center, that's the hub of the community.

They they don't have community centers.

They don't have sometimes they don't even have schools to meet.

So we meet there at the church.

The pastors know the community better than anybody else.

So they invite the amputees because a lot of times when you've lost a leg, you become a shadow in the community, you become a beggar, and people don't even know that you exist most of the time.

So the pastors will bring them in.

And while the different things are going on in the church, mydents are up on stage fitting amputees.

And when people see these amputees walk for the first time in years, you know, the people at the church like we just seen a miracle happen.

So these kids are changing lives.

That's cool.

And how long does it take usually to make, like, a leg like this?

Well, it just depends on the print.

Now, if you only have one printer, it takes you about a week.

With the setup that we have right now, I think we can make about three legs in a week.

That's really cool.

I'd like to talk to some of the students that have been on these trips.

Absolutely.

So now I'm at Chickasaw High School with Life Change, remember?

Ben Hello.

My name is Ben.

I am a Chickasaw High School senior and I am the PR manager of Chickasaw High School.

One of my experiences with that, with the life Changer Manufacturing Club, is getting to go down to Honduras and seeing the amazing people, the amazing food and the amazing music, and getting the fit for the amputee whose demeanor was completely hollow the first time I saw him.

And the next time when he saw that, when he saw the leg, his demeanor, his face, his an excited expression and was completely changed.

And then when whenever we got to see him, his family was crying because it's been over a year since his leg was amputated.

Yeah, that sounds very nice.

So do you actually have experience working in building these prosthetics?

Yes, I have experience of building this prosthetics as I've been in the club for two years now.

And around that time we've made around 80 legs.

That's amazing.

So what are your plans to go back to those countries to do anything or.

Yes.

One of the countries went this year was Guatemala.

And we really have a trip planned to Guatemala next April, and I'm very excited to go back.

Ben, thanks so much.

Now I would like to meet another club memeber.

So we're back at Chickasaw High School at with another member of the Life Changers class, Ariana.

So tell me about some of your experiences goint of the country for this awesome reason.

Okay, so first joining the club, first didn't really seem as interesting.

I going on a trip with you know just doing this is just amazing because you can see the lives of different people changing and how how also our lives change by just seeing that and going through that experience has been amazing.

Yeah.

So how many countries have you been doing this?

I've traveled to three countries.

The first one was Honduras.

The second one was El Salvador.

And the third one was one of my all out of those three.

Which one was your personal favorite?

My favorite was Guatemala because I. I got the opportunit make many, many, many friends, like lots of friends.

Lots of friends.

Oh, I'm sure.

Because, you know, you're saving some of their lives.

So.

So what is the experience making these actually?

Like, you see them, like, actually making them and then you see people wearing them and, you know, helping.

It's crazy.

Just the first time that we fit in amputee, it was it was crazy to me.

I felt like I was really proud of myself and just my classmates because of what we do and how it impacts other people.

Yeah.

So what are the ages of the people you fit?

Is it like span all over?

Well, we try to fit like between twenties forties, you know?

Yeah, we try to fit people who have the strength to use them.

Yeah.

And to wear them.

But of when we went to El Salvador, I think it was we fit in a kid, a little girl.

She was 12 and it was just amazing.

Kind of sad, but amazing.

Seeing how how her life changed.

And not only hers, but her parents lives changed.

Yeah, that's that's really neat.

So how many people have you fit on, like, one of these trips, like you guys as a group?

How many people we the first time that we went, we took like, I think it was 17 legs, but we tried to take like between ten and 15.

And yeah, it depends on who has the time, who is doing it like faster.

And you know, we each have different tasks like I have to talk to them, I have to communicate because I'm bilingual.

So I have the chance to talk to them and know their stories.

So what kind of like welcome parties and what kind of like dances and that kind of stuff have you seen on these trips?

Well, at first when we go in the church, they always receive us with flags and, you know, things like that.

And it's full of like little kids.

And they always say, like they try to say welcome and stuff like that.

They dance and sing and.

Yeah.

Have you had a favorite ceremony?

Yes, I think I have.

Like all of them are special because they do it with a lot of love.

We can see that.

But I had one.

It was in Guatemala and it was just a lot of kids dressed with different costumes of different animals.

And it was just really, really, really cute and sounds cute.

So how much time does it take usually to fit like one person with a prosthetic?

Oh, it takes like between 15 and 20 minutes, but there's like a lot of people who help.

Even the people who are like in the church or work for the church try to help us.

So are like their size is or do you adjust?

So how does that work?

Yes, we try to bring different sizes sometimes we have to adjust the bones.

So you said you had made lots of friendships on these trips.

Are there any that you still are in touch with?

Yes.

On the past trip I made, I met my best friend.

We still talk every day and I'm just really happy that I had the opportunity to be on that trip because I really, really adore my best friend.

So, yeah.

So you said you only bring like 10 to 15 prosthetics, but I know it's not like only 10 to 15 people that need these prosthetics.

So how does that work?

So on the last trip we went to, I think it was our second church and there was over 50 people that needed a prosthetic.

So how did you sort that out?

We tried to give the prosthetics to people who would actually need it.

I mean, I know they all need it, but most of them can't use a prosthetic because they don't have the strength and some of them had their two legs amputee.

So we really can't help people who have two legs.

Thank you so much.

I.

So now I went, Principal Cox, and I am not in trouble.

So, Principal Cox, tell me about the Life Changers class.

Well, first, I want to thank you, bitch.

And Alabama explorers, Alabama STEM Explorers for coming to the campus today and highlighting this program.

We have my students here in this program.

It has changed their l. The Life Changes program it embodies with this with the program is all about not only are we changing the lives of of amputees in third world countries who are receiving these prosthetics, but we're changing the lives of the students.

I've been on all the all the trips with the students.

I've been to El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.

And not only have the students lives been changed, but it's changed.

My life is impacted me so much when we go in there, as well as my students to see, oh, amputees, like being said that have lost a lot of hope because they lost a leg.

Many of these men are fathers and husbands, and when they lose a limb, they lose their ability to walk and provide for their family.

And when we go in and my students go in and provide them with a leg, we give back that hope to them where they are now able to go and put in be able to provide for their family.

A lot of them that lost a leg, their their wife will leave them because they are their own sole supporter.

And so now we're not only changing the lives of families that receive the prosthetics, but we're also changing my students, like my students here in Chickasaw, they come from small means.

They are low socioeconomic students.

We are in a four by four mile area here in Chickasaw and when they go into these countries and we go into those remote areas where they have little to nothing and they see how content and how happy those children are when we go to those churches.

Because when we first go to the church, we agreed about children, they'll do dances.

They put on a lot of celebratory acts to welcome us there.

And you see smiles on their faces.

And not only does it change the outlook of my children in my students, but it changed my life.

It made have a great impact on my life.

And in being able to go in and I'm not I'm not just there observing, I go in there.

Mitch and I helped screw late screw bolts in I help change parts put parts on and do things that assist my students.

I go for a 2.2 part reason because not only do I want to make sure my students are protected there and they're well taken care of, but I also want to allow that to be an opportunity for me to give back.

So how exactly could you join life changers?

Okay, that's a great question, Mitch.

And right now is volunteering.

We do it in a afterschool program through our Tribe Time, the 21st century of learning.

And students come on a volunteer basis.

And I, as the principal, I encourage them as far away as the 21st century to have time.

They have a requirement that at least ten students have to be in the club in order for the club to to maintain and to sustain itself over throughout the year.

But that's another reason why I went on these trips, so I could have the firsthand knowledge and experience so I could encourage and be a marketing tool for Mr. to my students, to encourage them to get involved, to encourage them to to be able to get their passports and and get the things in place in preparation, in order to get outside of Chickasaw and explore the whole world.

There's a great global economy out there, and I want my students to be impacted and be a member of society that impacts the global society.

And so that's what I encourage them and that's how they can become members of the Life Changes Club and in being able to come in and volunteer to our after school program.

So what would you like to see this club become like?

How would you like it to grow?

I like this club to grow astronomically.

I want all of my students here at Chickasaw High School to be able to experience this and to be able to be a part of this because theye no idea the impact it can make on their lives.

When you give to somebody else and and you're able to do things for others who are less fortunate for you, it takes your mind off of your own ills and the problems they may have.

And so I encourage them to to be a part of it, to get with Mr. Copes and and get with me and and come and put the hours in.

You know, Mitch, we also during last year, we had our state superintendent, Dr. Eric Mackie, as while as well as our local congressman, Representative Karl.

He came and he gave us the Presidential Volunteer Service Awards.

We those were presented to us and the students had who went on that.

And so these students don't realize, wait now how great impact this will have on their life in being able to give to others and then things will come back to you.

That's the way universe works.

Mitt Thank you, Principal Cox.

That is so awesome.

I'd like to meet some other students in this club So we're here at Chickasaw High School with another student in the Life Changers Club, So tell me about how you built this stuff.

Well, my main job is running the drill press.

See, these holes aren't the right size, so I have to drill them out to the right size.

This is a shorter leg bone and this is a longer leg bone.

So both of them have about the same number of holes, but they can be a little bit tricky.

This one is a lot harder to hold when you're drilling things, so I have to flip it around a lot.

My other job is taking out the 3D printing on the inside in order to 3D print something you have supports on the inside to keep the thing from falling down.

It's hard plastic, so it might fall in if you don't do that.

So you have to take a pair of needle pliers and just pull out the scraps from the inside so it can take a long time.

But yeah, so I can show you some of that.

So what exactly first, what exactly are these used for?

Yes.

So these are leg boots.

They all fit right here.

This one has already been glued in, but this is what a not glued in one would look like.

There are two pieces, but I only do this part of the piece.

The other one fits in here.

Oh, okay.

So what kind of glue do you use?

J.B Weld, I believe.

Yes, it takes two parts.

You have to mix the two together.

Another student does that bit, though.

Okay, so tell me more about just how the 3D printing process works.

Well, it's actually a lot simpler than I thought was you have to design it first on a computer, obviously, and it took us several tries in order to get the right shape.

However, once we did, it just goes on the printer and we just ignore it for however long.

Sometimes can be days though.

So.

So what part of this is like?

This part is 3D printed and what part do you guys just make here and stuff?

Okay, so we 3D print or make here all of the black pieces.

The black.

So this bit in this piece, obviously the foot and the ankle, ankle joint.

However we ship out, we order out these leg bone pieces and we order this leg socket here.

It also comes with several socks for the amputees to change out.

Yeah, because we don't want any infections.

Okay.

So these are straps.

So they feel like adjusting like the size.

Yes.

Nope.

Two people have the same two legs.

So even on one amputee, it's going to be different either side.

So we have to have all kinds of adjustments.

You'll notice the screw right here and all the different holes.

These can all be an individual length.

Okay, so the straps here.

Yes, right.

They'll tighten and loosen as we need in order to fit perfectly around what the around the part of the leg the person has left.

Cool.

So tell me about your experience being part of this club.

Well, I joined, I believe, early last year when the principal came and asked me to come and join, and they were looking for extra students to sit in on the class.

And I came and I enjoyed it.

So I came back and I'm still coming.

So do you go to school here?

I do not.

I'm home schooled.

Okay.

That is that's cool.

So more about this, it seems like it's not extremely like mechanical.

It seems very like simple.

It is very simple.

And that's the beauty of it.

Because if it's really if it's really complex, it takes a lot of complex machinery to fix it.

Yes.

If it has a lot of moving parts, then if one breaks, it's very hard to replace it without having to replace the whole leg.

However, if we only have a certain number of parts, it's very simple to make it once and have it stay fixed.

You don't have to change it out.

Oh, so other than the 3D printer, what other kind of tools are needed tke this?

Well, we have a bunch of hand tools.

We've got, you know, all of our pliers and screwdrivers to take take this out and screw them in.

And we also have a couple of mechanical ones, like a drill and a drill press.

So I run the drill press.

I make make these holes bigger.

I get it from the smaller size to the larger size because they weren't exactly perfect.

So.

And why exactly are bigger holes needed?

Well, bigger holes are needed because we changed screws.

So we didn't want to have to reorder a whole box of pipes.

So instead I just take a drill bit like you put in an electric drill and we put it in there and we drill out of the holes to make them just a small bit bigger.

So tell me about how to get that stuff on the inside.

So it's stuff on the inside.

We call these the supports.

Now we have to take our, you know, those pliers and sort of wrap around and get it in.

And then we have to just twist it back and forth until we get a good grip and get that time.

It takes a lot of trial and error to get it out.

Sometimes they just keep twisting it back one way or the other until you get it out.

But that sounds promising like that.

Okay.

So that is that's really cool.

So what exactly is the point of the support?

So the point of the support is, well, the print is printing it.

You can't just print a blank hole without falling it and it's hot plastic.

So it might not it might not keep the shape every single time.

So you have to print it with the supports in with the intention of taking them out eventually.

Okay.

Oh, well, Mitch, I'd like to thank you and Alabama STEM Explorers for coming out and highlighting the work of my students.

You know, as we close here, I want to thank my some of our partners for their help in this.

You know, this wouldn't be possible without the the school system, the school board and administration here at the school, because allowing us to take such such trips has been a just a true blessing to not only to me, but to the students.

We've got some corporate sponsors like Harbor Freight Tools for schools, we've got Movement Mortgage, we've got Thompson Thrift.

I mean, these these great industry partners is what's made this possible.

So thank you again for coming out and meeting with us.

Well, thank you.

This has been such a great and interesting show.

I'll see you next week on Alabama STEM Explorers.

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Alabama STEM Explorers is made possible by the generous support of the Holle Family Foundation, established to honor the legacy of Brigadier General Everett Holle and his parents, Evelyn and Fred Holle Champions of Servant Leadership.