While many seniors are looking ahead to graduating later this month, Coby Warner is looking ahead to his next batch of face shields he’s going to produce and deliver. A Clariden School graduate, Coby is an aspiring engineer looking to study at Rochester Institute of Technology in the fall. After the COVID-19 pandemic came to Texas back in March, Coby’s mother had to go to work as an anesthesiologist.
“They had a lack of face masks,” Coby says. “When it becomes aerosolized, it becomes a real threat. She needed a way to protect herself.”
Putting his creative talents to good use, Coby utilized his personal 3D printer to start making face shields for his mother. While he started producing them by himself, he later brought in eighth graders Grant Sears and Benjamin Weisser to help him on his initiative.
“We started by using hole punches and cutting through the clear plastic to get it to size,” Coby says. “Grant has a silhouette machine that can cut the plastic, while Benjamin created the file that could be used on other silhouette machines. Not everyone has this protection, and it’s a limiting factor for a lot of people that need to use it.”
They started donating the face shields to local first responders and front line workers who were most at risk to exposure. Their first recipient was the GRACE Community Clinic in Grapevine, and from there they received requests from clinics in Arlington, Cowley, Fort Worth and Dallas. They donated a few face shields to the Southlake Fire Department as well.
“The team has produced and distributed over 600 face shields to the DFW community,” Clariden School educator Rissa Westerfield says. “They have been working around the clock to produce face shields for at least nine organizations. I’m proud of these three students and their selfless giving during this time.”
Coby says if nothing changes, he’s still planning to attend Rochester in the fall as expected. Until then, he’s going to keep producing face shields with Grant and Benjamin, and he’s going to make sure they are well off to continue production even when he’s off studying at college.
“It’s a sense of responsibility and pride to be able to do this work,” Coby expresses. “Not a lot of people have access to these tools. That’s why I want to continue production for as long as possible, for however long they still need it.”
If you would like to request any face shields or learn more about the group’s community efforts, email Rissa at RWesterfield@ClaridenSchool.org.