Engineering classes race cardboard boats

Kathryn Tenbarge

 

Separate bells held separate boat races, which were well attended by spectators. The boats were constructed using only cardboard, duct tape, and glue. Each boat had a theme and a name. Photo courtesy of Megan Schroeder.
Separate bells held separate boat races, which were well attended by spectators. The boats were constructed using only cardboard, duct tape, and glue. Each boat had a theme and a name. Photo courtesy of Megan Schroeder.

Three weeks of designing, manufacturing, and testing cardboard boats resulted in the class competitions last Friday. Students propelled themselves across the pool with homemade paddles and propulsion devices, competing for prizes like “Titanic: Fastest Sinking Boat” and “Headache Award: Most Complex Boat.”

“I learned that in order to succeed, you must be very patient and intentional with your design process,” said Megan Schroeder, 11.

Jonathan Quantz, 12, Pete Lopez, 12, Kevin Kohmescher, 10 and Hadis Palic, 12 won the overall competition with the fastest boat.

“If I could do it over again, I would have made a stronger boat,” said Lopez.

The class will soon be embarking on creating remotely operated underwater vehicles.