SF/HG sixth graders hold cardboard boat regatta
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On Thursday, March 16, sixth graders from St. Francis/Holy Ghost (SF/HG) Catholic Grade School were “all hands on deck” as they competed in their first cardboard boat regatta at the JCH Wellness Center in Jerseyville.
Students attempted to race across the pool in cardboard boats they designed and built based on their recent lessons on buoyancy and Newton’s laws of motion. Using only cardboard and duct tape, students had to craft a ship that would carry the builders across the pool and back.
Spirits were high as captains and crew took final indications. When the start whistle blew, the competitors splashed into the pool seeking to be the first across. The race was colorful, action-packed and short-lived. Some boats sank the moment they were boarded. Other boats passed the buoyancy test with a crew of one, but submerged like closing clamshells with the addition of the second or third crew member. Some boats faithfully held all crew, but once the rowing began balance issues and gravity won over craftsmanship, tossing crew into the churning pool. At the end of the race, only a cardboard pontoon boat belonging to Gracie Flowers and Aubrey Perdun had apparently survived the crossing intact with one crew member inside. Two teams, the canoe crewed by David Vogel and Hunter Winters and the ship manned by Owen Fink, Robert Roentz and Ethan Hansen arrived sitting in their boats, but the boats themselves were underwater.
When asked who won the competition, Cole Clemmer replied, “Officially no one, but really, we all won something because it was fun and we learned a lot. We used our science lessons to come up with a hypothesis and build, but being able to try our boats, that was the best. We didn’t win the race, but we are already thinking about how we will do it better next time.”
Reflecting on their overall experience, crew members of one cardboard boat, Allison Militello and Sophie Winters, commented, “ Our design was good, but the cardboard didn’t agree, so we had to rebuild three times and get some help from our friends, but we worked together and never gave up.”
This project forms part of a larger student effort to learn about local recycling. Students obtained their cardboard in a fun and educational field trip to the cardboard processing center in Jerseyville, operated by the Illinois Valley Economic Development Corporation (IVEDC). While on the field trip, students learned about the important role the IVEDC and local businesses have in keeping cardboard out of landfills and how they have been recently impacted by a drop in cardboard demand. Students were excited to learn how to process cardboard, and how they might be able to contribute to recycling.
Stella Pohlman reflected on her learning experience and shared, “We were excited to work on the boats, but we are really learning that it takes a community to be successful at anything, even school projects, and especially recycling. Members of a community have to want to recycle and make an effort to do it well. This means that we have to learn to be patient if the recycling bins are full or unavailable, so that we don’t just leave our recyclables outside the bins and contribute to the problem. We are reusing the cardboard for our boats, then they are going in a compost pile.”
The sixth grade students would like to thank their parents that helped them in the event, the IVEDC and especially the JCH Wellness Center who opened up their facility for the race and provided a lifeguard.
Submitted photo
The SF/HG sixth grade class participated in a cardboard boat race at JCH Wellness Center last Thursday, March 16.
Submitted photo
SF/HG students, Tanner Carey and Owen Edwards, work on their boat for last week’s cardboard boat race.
Submitted photo
SF/HG student, David Vogel, tries to stay afloat during the cardboard boat race last week at JCH Wellness Center.
Submitted photo
SF/HG students, Ethan Hansen, Robert Roentz and Owen Fink, stand in a boat they built for last week’s cardboard boat race.
Submitted photo
Students, Daphne Slusser and Holly Hernandez, attempt a launch shot during the SF/HG cardboard boat race last week at JCH Wellness Center.
