As doctors and nurses scramble for medical supplies to fight the global coronavirus pandemic, help is coming from an unlikely place — Fresno-area high school students.

Career Technical Education Charter High School has been utilizing its nine 3D printers to make face shields for healthcare workers on the front lines, said Jonathan Delano, director of CTEC.

Face masks have been particularly challenging to find in the U.S. since the outbreak. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced this week the state is set to spend $1 billion to purchase 200 million masks each month to boost its supply.

Their design has been shared with other communities in the state’s hardest-hit cities, including Los Angeles. And some of the key designers who helped slash production time are teenagers.

Valerie Castro, a CTEC sophomore, is part of a team of teachers and students who came up with design tweaks that shaved almost 30 minutes off the time it takes to build a face shield.

“That’s what really makes this school kind of different,” she said. “It’s not just teachers doing everything.”

Teachers have played a critical role, leading the charge, and several students have added crucial contributions.

“Even though all these bad things are happening, we’re able to make an impact in a positive way,” Castro said. “It’s like leaving your little mark on the world.”

Makerbot, a New York-based company that makes 3D printers, has also helped CTEC to maximize the building process.

They’ve been churning out nearly 100 shields each day, and that production is about to triple as about 20 more 3D printers come online at the school.

“Some schools have one or two (3D printers),” Delano told The Bee. “We are pretty unique for how many we have running in our space. That’s what we focus on.”

CTEC staff and students have provided hospitals, dentists, urgent care centers, and retirement homes some masks in Fresno County and surrounding areas, including Valley Children’s Hospital and Community Medical Regional Center.

“I was shocked,” Dr. Stacy S. Vohra told school staff in a video. “We were so thrilled to have the donation from CTEC. “This is something that we’ve been needing.”

The entire staff has been rotating going on to campus to produce the face shields every day, Delano said.

When the new 3D printers arrive, some of them will go to students’ houses so kids can help with the hands-on process, Delano said.

“That’s how we get through these things,” Delano said. “Our high school focuses on giving back to the community. Students should know the skills they have can impact a community.”

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.