Carson High School students present project to Nevada State Museum

A three-dimensional model of the Carson City Mint created by three Carson High School students — which was once used as a cake topper — is now on display at the Nevada State Museum, a first of its kind of modern technology added to the museum’s collection.

“3-D printing is a marvelous way to include in history,” said Myron Freedman, director of the museum. “The students’ work is not only a testament to their skillful ability with today’s technology, but also how important it is for each generation to investigate the past for themselves, in their own way, and to creatively apply the tools of their time to research and understand what meanings history holds for them.”

As of Tuesday, the 3-D replicas of the mint, Liberty Bell, and coin press were unveiled on the second floor of the museum as an exhibit. The display also showcases artifacts and process of the project.

The masterminds behind the creation — Career and Technical Education students Makaela Bigley, Skylor Olshefsky, and Zachary Vestal — spent about 500 hours developing the replicas to crown the museum’s 75th birthday cake, created by CHS culinary club.

The celebration was held Oct. 28.

Each printed section is 6-inch square. In order to fit the replicas on the cake, the culinary club had to bake 32 cakes and combine them into one.

The CTE students said it was their first time using a 3-D print program to create the models from scratch, perfecting every detail based off of their vast research of the architecture of the building.

“The biggest challenge was getting the scale and shape right,” Olshefsky said.

But it wasn’t until after the event CTE web design teacher Sherri Kelley realized the models needed a new home.

“It was sitting in our storage at the school and collecting dust,” she said. “I wanted the museum to have it because it’s a project given toward our community.”

The ceremony also featured floral designs created by CHS CTE agriculture students and cookies baked by CHS CTE culinary students. Students involved in the SkillsUSA program also displayed their tech projects for the day, built from scratch.

The Nevada State Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.