If I had to write a book about the Make-o-Rama, I think I’d have to go with the title: “The First Annual ARS Make-o-Rama 2015- The Spectacular Event That Instilled Both Stress and Excitement Within Me- A Memoir.” Okay, so maybe I would have to shorten that, but there’s most definitely a truth to it.

To give a quick summary as to what exactly this so-called “Make-o-Rama” is- Make-o-Rama is an event that took place at the end of April 2015 at the Ann Richards School that allowed us students to display our projects we had been working on in PLTW for the past couple of months to our fellow peers. I know, I know, this sounds super cool, and it’s not that I was worried it wouldn’t be. However, I was concerned because the Make-o-Rama was fast approaching, and to say the least, our project was utterly failing.

This is where the stress comes in.

We were constructing a marble run, intending to make it out of wood and pieces created by the marvelous 3D printer with the idea that our project would represent how even the oldest, simplest of designs, can be combined with modernized design techniques. I actually got really into it and grew excited as we 3D printed a few pieces to add to our track. However, we then realized that the Make-o-Rama was only a week away, and we couldn’t find a way to properly attach the 3D pieces and contemplated giving up.

After agonizing over it, we ultimately decided to scrap the 3D printed pieces (much to my disappointment) due to the ticking clock. I felt like a complete failure. I mean, we’d completely given up on such an inspiring idea because we couldn’t fathom a way to fix our problem. Wouldn’t that be considered a failure?

What I came to realize through our marble run project is that just because something doesn’t go as originally planned, it doesn’t mean it is a failure. Tons of inventions were created by accident, such as the microwave, velcro, and even popsicles! Beautiful and useful things can emerge from a “failure.” After all, our marble run turned out great, with neatly cut pieces, cool track extensions- all without the 3D printed pieces. Though in this situation we gave up on our 3D printing idea, we knew it was for the best, and our finished product is evidence that it was.