More than a dozen vessels of varying colors, shapes and sizes entered the South Orangetown Middle School pool for the 3rd Annual Cardboard Boat Race on June 6. Intrepid Cottage Lane Elementary School and SOMS students clipped on their life vests and boarded their constructions to compete for the fastest race time in boats that they’d built from cardboard and duct tape.
“It’s all about working with your friends and making real life stuff that you can use and race with,” said eighth-grader Aidan O. When asked what approach had worked best, he quickly replied, “Team work. Collaboration.”
CLE Technology Teacher Kim Guzas was impressed by students’ commitment and enthusiasm. “They started eight weeks ago and were very passionate about working during recess every day,” she said. “TMI: Think, make, improve. That’s the overarching theme for the three years we have them at Cottage Lane. It makes the engineering process attainable.”
SOMS entrants worked in Challenge Lab and Technology classes to design, construct and troubleshoot their boats. “A lot of the SOMS designs went the pontoon route for buoyancy this year,” noted Enrichment and Technology Teacher Andrew McIntosh. “The boat designs have advanced in the past couple of years and this year the fastest time was 11 seconds traveling the width of the pool.”
Congratulations to all the marine engineers and sailors who competed in this year’s race! View photos on the district’s Facebook feed.