On the front page of today’s Whidbey News-Times there’s an article that is both inspirational and a reminder that our students of today are the leaders and creators of tomorrow.

They are our scientists, doctors, teachers and inventors. Within their incredible minds may lie the cure for cancer and other heinous diseases. They are the future masters of technology that is beyond the realm of imagination for past generations, and quickly evolving and advancing.

And it all starts in a classroom.

The article is about the Oak Harbor High School Robotics Club’s creation of a functional arm and hand for 11-year-old Jaelyn Crebbin.

Jaelyn was born without a left forearm or hand.

Robotics Club members stepped in to make a difference. Using a $2,000 3-D printer and about $30 worth of materials, they created a functional prosthesis along the lines of one that can cost up to thousands of dollars.

“At first it was a little scary,” said Jaelyn. “I was a little shy to work with the Robotics Club.”

The design for Jaelyn’s new arm came from a nonprofit organization, e-NABLE, that has provided hands in 37 countries.

The Oak Harbor Robotics students have shown that a major difference can be made within our own community. Their work on Jaelyn’s arm began this past spring, according to Robotics instructor and student mentor Che Edoga. The final fitting was com pleted just a few weeks ago.

The prosthetic arm has fingers that open and close when Jaelyn bends her elbow. While that may sound like a simple thing, the fact is most of us take for granted tasks like riding a bicycle with two hands or playing on a swing.

“It’s starting to dawn on them they did something really cool,” Edoga said. “Having made that hand, they can see how it’s changed this person’s life.”

And the Robotics students aren’t done yet. They have ideas for projects to further help Jaelyn, including designing another hand that will open and close with skin sensors that respond to a twitch of her muscles.

The community should be proud of the students who made an impact on Jaelyn’s life. Not only did they take what they learned at school and use it to help someone else, they did it with dedication and heart.

Too often we read about what’s wrong in the world, and we hear about youths who veered off the path of the straight and narrow. This time, we celebrate a group of students who dedicated themselves to making a little girl’s life just a bit better.