Third Annual Cardboard Boat Races

Or, as eighth grader Aggy explained, “When these materials come together, they create a vessel capable of overcoming the downward force of gravity to float on water by the power of buoyancy.”

 

Students worked in teams of four or five to conceptualize and construct their boats. They collaborated on design, carefully measuring and cutting – sometimes multiple times. They developed techniques for taping the cardboard pieces together so that the seams were watertight. “It was real hands-on learning,” Ms. Daly explained. “The students had learned about Archimedes Principle and buoyancy. They understood the concepts in an intellectual way. But with the boats, the concepts sprang to life. Especially when it came time to compete in the pool at the Boys & Girls Club!”         

And they weren’t just competing against themselves; one parent group stepped up to the challenge (congratulations Kevin Kennedy for a race well paddled!), and the RCS Maintenance team did, too (Carlos Londono designed it, John Broderick, Bob Cherubini, and Carlos Londono built it, and Jay Oliver raced it).

 

Greatest Boat-Building Challenge

When we asked students what their greatest challenge was building the boats, they had a lot to say:

 

35% – measuring: “A challenge we faced was figuring out the measurements for the sides. Based on what we learned in class, we attempted to make the boat as large as possible without running out of resources.” – Mya  “We did have to make changes throughout the project; we changed the dimensions of the boat.” – Cole  “I thought building the boat would take the longest but it was actually the design and measurement that took the longest and was the hardest.” – Maki 

 

28% – limited duct tape: “A challenge our team faced was moderating the amount of duct tape we used on parts of the boat.” – Gardner  “Running out of duct tape was a major problem because we wanted to cover the whole boat.” – Zach 

 

16% – determining the size: “One challenge we faced was deciding how large to build our boat.” – Aidan  “The size was a big issue as we didn’t know who was going in our boat and we kept switching.” – Nate  “I assumed that creating the boat would be relatively easy but I didn’t consider having to adjust the boat’s size to the captain, how the boat is shaped, and how the weight is distributed.” – David 

 

9% – design: “Our biggest challenge was coming up with a design theme.” – Maddy  “Picking a design in general that everyone was happy with.” –Aggy 

6% – limited resources: “We used too many materials too early.” – Josh

 

6% – construction: “Some of the building and taping was hard.” – Jay

 

There were three heats to start (one for each eighth grade section) and then a final heat with the three winners from each class. “The three fastest boats were still fairly dry for the final heat,” Ms. Daly said. “I think that was because they had raced across the pool the first time in less than a minute.”

Chloe Person-Hoffer (sailor)

Lizzie Diamond

Brandon Hackett

Jack O’Callaghan

 

Kat Trantzas (sailor)

Sam Federman

Jack Cicchelli

Juliet Kaufmann

Nicky Gimbel

 

Luke Bai (sailor)

Gardner Heitzmann

Rowan McGinnis

Hailey Doniger

 

“The boat project was such a success because so many people came together,” Ms. Daly said. “The parents who came to watch. The Maintenance team that carefully transported the boats to the Boys & Girls Club pool. The Boys & Girls Club. Our timekeepers: Brooks Eleck, Heather Levinson, Colm MacMahon, and Missy Swan. Miles Cameron at the starting line, helping the students get organized and get in the boats.”

“And it was a success because of all the skills students are learning in my science classes – collaboration, planning, designing, problem-solving – all skills that apply to any field, any career, not just science. It’s not just about understanding buoyancy.”  

Zach Sherman probably summed up the cardboard boat project best: “I assumed the project would be fun and I was right.”

PHOTOGRAPHY: Rhonda Spevak