
Due
to
COVID-19,
personal
protective
equipment
(PPE)
for
health
care
workers
is
in
short
supply.
Hospitals
are
reaching
out
for
donations
of
masks,
gloves,
hand
sanitizer
and
face
shields.
Some
current
and
former
PWCS
students
are
stepping
up
to
help
by
creating
protective
face
shields
using
their
3D
printers.
Two
Forest
Park
High
School
students,
Thomas
Byrne
and
Desmen
Boykin,
are
using
their
skills
to
3D-
print
face
shields
for
medical
personnel.
Boykin
has
a
sister
who
is
a
surgical
nurse
at
UVA
Hospital
in
Charlottesville,
VA.
He
is
concerned
for
her
safety
at
work.
This
led
him
and
Byrne
to
start
3D-
printing
face
shields
themselves
in
their
homes.
Byrne
and
Boykin
want
to
do
their
part
to
help
during
this
crisis.
They
are
spending
part
of
their
days
off
from
school
serving
the
community
in
this
way.
Each
face
shield
takes
approximately
an
hour
and
a
half
to
produce.
So
far,
they
have
produced
over
40
face
shields.
These
shields
are
being
sent
to
UVA
Hospital
and
others.
They
have
had
requests
from
as
far
away
as
New
York.
Cynthia
Kirkland,
a
2007
graduate
of
Woodbridge
High
School,
is
a
member
of
a
group
creating
medical
face
shields
to
donate
to
hospitals.
While
attending
Woodbridge
High,
Kirkland
took
Career
and
Technical
Education
(CTE)
classes
on
Auto
CAD,
focusing
on
computer
drafting.
From
that
class
she
learned
a
basic
understanding
of
how
product
design
and
drafting
worked
digitally
and
she
carried
that
into
her
career.
Kirkland
is
currently
a
costume
maker
for
Walt
Disney
World
in
Florida
where
they
use
3D
printers,
vacuum
forms,
and
laser
cutters
in
craft
and
technician
rooms.
She
also
owns
a
3D
printer.
Kirkland
wanted
to
help
during
the
PPE
emergency
but
wasn't
quite
sure
how.
A
friend
told
her
that
there
is
a
desperate
need
of
face
shields
for
health
care
workers.
Kirkland
said,
"I
saw
a
3D
model
of
the
face
shield
and
immediately
knew
it
was
something
that
could
be
easily
printed
and
produced".
Kirkland
started
printing
face
shields
and
donated
some
to
The
George
Washington
University
Hospital
where
her
friend's
sister
is
a
nurse.
She
then
mobilized
others
with
3D
printers
to
join
a
Facebook
group
she
created
called
Print
the
Curve
Flat.
This
is
a
group
of
citizens
with
3D
printers
answering
the
call
for
PPE
during
the
COVID-19
crisis.
These
volunteers
are
nationwide
and
sending
the
much-needed
supplies
to
hospitals
across
America.
The
Print
the
Curve
Flat
printers
expect
to
not
stop
printing
face
shields
until
medical
staff
can
get
the
bulk
distributions
needed
to
stay
safe
in
their
workplace.
"I
feel
that
even
though
we
are
providing
small
quantities,
our
care
packages
are
a
way
to
boost
morale
for
medical
staff
on
the
front
lines.
I
want
the
packages
to
say,
we
hear
you,"
shared
Kirkland."
The
work
of
our
former
and
current
students
makes
us
PWCS
Proud!