Article Text

After nearly a year without meetings, McLean High School’s Blender Club has returned as a small but growing community where students create 3D models, render digital objects and produce animations.

Senior Nathan Zamsky revived the dormant club during his junior year because he wanted McLean students to have a place to explore the free 3D creation software. Now in its second year under his leadership, the club meets almost every Wednesday in room R193 and uses the classroom’s desktop computers.

Most members arrive with little or no Blender experience. Zamsky introduces them to the software, explains how to construct different elements and helps them develop the skills needed to pursue projects independently.

“The hope is that people are going to come, maybe with some experience, and make things of their own,” Zamsky said.

Junior Fernando M’Bachi joined last year as a beginner and began attending regularly this year. After working with animation for only a month, he started building a Minecraft-themed animated project.

“I love Blender Club because you can use your imagination to build a lot of cool, unique projects,” M’Bachi said. “There’s so much creativity—you can explore new tools, make your own animations, and there’s a lot of potential on what you can produce with it.”

Sophomore Mitchell Lin has followed a similarly fast path. After roughly half a month of total practice, he was already creating a detailed Rubik’s Cube rendering and beginning to animate it.

Lin also spends time on projects using his main computer, where he first learned Blender’s fundamentals. He acknowledged that the program can be difficult at the beginning but said it became easier with continued practice.

Zamsky hopes the members will eventually combine their developing skills on a shared animation. The club attempted a group project last year, but limited time and participation prevented members from completing it. This year, he hopes committed students such as M’Bachi and Lin can help move a collaborative animation forward.

Although membership remains relatively small, the club gives students a relaxed setting to experiment, learn at their own pace and discover new creative interests. Zamsky believes greater participation could lead to closer collaboration and more ambitious projects.

“I think there’s a lot of room for growth in the club,” Zamsky said. “Even though we’re small, the amount of things you can do with the software makes the possibilities endless.”