Sophomore Charlie Beetham and his art creations are an important part of the school community. Beetham created two projects to liven our school, one of which was recently installed on June 1st. This project, which is called the fortune teller machine, is located in the Hartman Hall Sun Room. The project allowed students to participate in its construction by having them submit questions and outcomes for the fortune teller to give.

So, how does the fortune teller machine work? The installment itself is a wooden board with small diverters, which are interactive pieces of wood that you can lift up or down to change your result. Depending on where you place the diverters, your marble will travel down a specific path, and you will receive the fortune corresponding to where your marble is located on the wooden board after it’s finished traveling.

Beetham completed this project for his 3D-design class. He says that he “enjoy[ed] doing the installations … It’s a fun thing to do to try to create something that other people can interact with.”

This isn’t the first time that Beetham created a community art installation at MFS. The Tranquil Paper Garden, located in the Baiada Field House, involved Beetham and his partners Nicole Jung ’24 and Skyla Larluz ’24, as well as students outside of the 3D-design class: “In the middle of February, the student contribution period (time period that students submitted their own creations or designs for paper garden) began. It was amazing to watch many teachers getting their students involved [by encouraging them to participate].” Beetham is hoping for similar student engagement with his fortune teller project.

Chelsea Witt, teacher of the 3D-design class, thinks of 3D-design projects as a way for students “to interact with their fellow classmates’ way of thinking as well as with the spaces around them in a new way.” They say that “it is easy to become familiar with a place and for it to no longer be stimulating or engaging, [but] by having students reimagine the spaces and bring attention to them, it keeps students engaged with the world around them.” Nick Caputo ’24 said he agrees with Witt, saying, “[The paper garden] adds something to the room that doesn’t make it seem bland or boring… It brings everyone together and makes everyone contribute to something in the community.”

One of the reasons that student art pieces like design projects are important is that they make the school unique. To Coletrane Blackburn ’25, art “is a big part of MFS culture. Like the edible book festival[, it] adds to [our school]… it takes away the stress of academics.” They say that “[the fortune teller machine] will add another level of interaction within the school.”