Students create masks for overseas healthcare workers

ST JOSEPH’S College Geelong students have been creating face masks for communities in Uganda, Thailand and South Africa.

Students noticed on social media that masks were damaging the ears of frontline workers, and went to college staff to see how they could help.

Staff and students found a template of a design that did not affect wearers’ ears and decided they could produce these masks using the college’s 3D laser printer.

School leaders William Baum and Lachlan Demasi worked with technology teacher Brendan Fairfield to laser-cut 180 ear saver masks.

The college’s director of community and development Kristen Gleeson then worked with past student Tim Diamond from the Cotton On Foundation to organise the distribution of the masks.

Mr Gleeson said the foundation had been eager to receive the masks.

“I spoke to Cotton On and they said their project teams in their global community could use them for sure.”

Mr Gleeson commended the students on taking the initiative to offer help.

“They did it in their spare time, they didn’t do it as part of a class or anything, and they did it at lunchtime, after school; things like that.

“If we think we’ve got hard times here then they have super hard times over there, and it was something that will help.”

Students are now looking at the possibility of creating face shields as well, having already created prototypes that may be suitable for frontline workers.