Phelps Central takes Cardboard Boat Race title

File photo

On May 19, 2009, as part of Explore the Trades Week, the Near North District School Board hosted its 5th Annual Cardboard Boat Races. Each year, approximately 100 Grade 8 students work in teams to design and build unique cardboard boats in preparation for racing.

Students worked in teams of 3 or 4 and spent time on the design of their boat prior to the competition day. On the day of the race, students were provided with 2 sheets of cardboard, glue, cutting tools, and material to decorate their boat. They are given approximately 3 hours to build a boat that would be able to accommodate one person and be sea worthy so that the student was able to travel the length of the pool at the North Bay YMCA.

Members of the local Armed Forces supported the event by providing Navy Seamen judges, who evaluated the design of each boat. Judges scored each team based on design. Design score, in addition to the boat’s time taken to travel across the pool, were combined to determine the winner of this event.

This year’s winning team, from Phelps Central School, consisted of students Steve Salkeld, James Aldridge and Chris Vaillancourt.

Centennial Public School captured both second and third place in this year’s event. Other Near North schools that took part included South Shore Education Centre, Silver Birches Senior Public School and W.J. Fricker Senior Public School.