MaST Charter Opens Library

The Control Room

MaST Community Charter School, located on Byberry Road in the city’s Northeast section, formally opened its new 3-story Library & Media Center at an Open House at the school on Friday, September 16.

The top floor of this new facility provides “the technology hub of the future,” according to MaST CEO, John Swoyer. “Few, if any public schools in the area have these kinds of resources. And we hope to find ways to share them with others and encourage a stronger technological focus—regionally and even nationally—in our children’s education.”

This area includes:

Computer labs that allow instruction in Design and Technology Innovation, Video Production Basics, 3D Design Basics, 3D Product Design / Advanced 3D Product Design, Introduction to Engineering, Principles of Engineering, Animation Academy, and Introduction to Programming/Web Design/Video Journalism.

This floor also contains a full Video Studio and is home to a remarkable 3-D Printer.

Because MaST is located on a tightly bounded property that formally housed a steel mill, “we had no place to go but up,” jokes school founder and President of the Board, Karen Del Guercio. “So we did—a heroic effort in these times when funding is so difficult.”

The 2nd floor contains a magnificent Library Area that includes:

  • Elementary School Children’s Area w/Learning Classroom in Library
  • Floor Projection Area
  • “E-Learning Bar” – Research and Learning Area
  • Research Computers
  • Media Stations for Video Development and Research Studies
  • Copy-Scan-Print Area
  • High School Classroom in the Library
  • E-Reader Charging/Sign-Out Room

On the ground floor, the new multi-level structure includes:

  • an iPad-controlled board room for meetings and professional development sessions
  • before-care and after-care space that doubles as rooms for occupational and physical therapy during school hours
  • a learning center for small-group collaboration
  • Credit Due for Effort, Expertise, and Imagination

“The Library & Media Center was created and designed with input from various stakeholders who possessed creativity and imagination that would ultimately give our K-12 students a futuristic learning environment,” says CEO Swoyer. “At MaST, we want to be leaders in education, and this vision is one that will be utilized to expand student growth by providing a space that is ahead of the curve in the areas of technology and student offerings.”