Building to the Extremes
Engineering and Physics members building to sail
Rachel Christian, Brittany Lewis, Kayla Pearson

In the beginning.

During the week of May 31 to June 2 students from many different Onslow County schools gathered to challenge their creative problem solving abilities. Everyday their challenges got harder and their time frame was decreased.

Students in Engineering and Physics were presented with a project to build the impossible, a boat, with only cardboard, duct tape, double-sided tape and box cutters. Before the assembly of the boat the students had to test the tape with both the sealant and the spray paint.

Many of the students involved in the institute hoped to accomplish teamwork by working together to make a boat that would float. The students were not aware that many problems were ahead of them.
The students had to decide what type of boat to build and why this boat was fit for them. After the students picked what type of boat they wanted to build, they were faced with building it.

Josh Koca who graduated this year from Swansboro High School stated, “There was an abundance of cardboard and we had to mold all of it together.”
After the students built the boat, they then transported it to the Sturgeon City Garage where they spray-painted it.

Almost there.

Rising junior Tyrone Scott from White Oak stated, “The part I liked the most was painting the boat. It felt great to grab a can of paint and just go crazy making the boat aesthetically pleasing.”
The boat will be presented and entered in the boat race during the Riverwalk Festival on Saturday, May 19, 2005.

Rising senior Roy Tootle from White Oak High School stated, “I have already learned so much from this institute. Building the boat bettered my engineering skills and the teamwork helped me realize how much other people can contribute to a project.”