Apple Valley High School is a comprehensive STEM high school with the Triple A philosophy of excellence in academics, activities and athletics. The community at Apple Valley emphasizes communication, collaboration and problem solving. The Apple Valley High School Fab Lab is designed to support the school mission, providing opportunities for students and adults to solve real world problems through imagination, innovation, collaboration and technology.

The Fab Lab is positioned in the school close to our full wood and metal shops, art rooms, and FACS (Family and Consumer Science) rooms, allowing for imagination and innovation in multiple mediums. We are not limited, then, to just the fabrication lab but can instead combine multiple ways to create and innovate. AVHS students designed the Fab Lab layout itself and much of the furniture was designed and manufactured by students. We have a presentation system, which can wirelessly connect to all student laptops, allowing for student presentations. There are also 6 wall monitors that can connect to laptops in order to share work collaboratively with small groups.

The FabLab space is available for teacher, classroom, and community use. Community education classes are being offered as well as various school age summer camps. The lab is financially and conceptually supported by 15 different local businesses.

AVHS offers a program called E3 STEM, a grant supported by the Department of Labor and Department of Education. This grant, in partnership with Dakota Technical College and Inver Hills Community college, provides programming opportunities for students 9-14 to explore, educate, and become employed in local and national business fields where employment rates are high. The Fab Lab provides these students with time and resources to become job ready.