Elementary students win medals testing out cardboard boats

Skills Canada
News Release

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On January 26th, 2010, over 550 senior elementary students from across the province had the opportunity to design, build and paddle their way towards skilled trades’ career exploration. Skills Canada – Ontario, a not-for-profit organization whose mandate is "to promote the skilled trades and technologies as viable first-choice career options to Ontario youth" hosted six Cardboard Boat Races in community centers and schools in Brantford, Toronto, Thunder Bay, Sutton, Ottawa and Sturgeon Falls.

At the West Nipissing Recreation Complex, in Sturgeon Falls, 12 Cardboard Boat Race teams of four had just two hours to pull off the seemly impossible, design and construct a ‘seaworthy’ boat, using only two sheets of cardboard and duct tape. During the construction phase of the event, a team of judges from industry and education, judged the teams on safety and cleanliness, planning and design, quality of construction, visual appeal, teamwork and team spirit, and knowledge of skilled trades. After lunch the teams took their vessels to the pool where they raced each other in heats across a 25 meter expanse of
water. Immediately following, the boats competed in the weight challenge, where the designs were tested as to the maximum number of team members the boat would hold before sinking. By the end of the weight challenge the boats were soggy and unrecognizable. Just like the boats, even the victorious competitors left looking soggy – but smiling ear to ear.

Participating schools included:

École Alliance St-Joseph
Conseil scolaire de district catholique du Nouvel-Ontario
Chelmsford

École séparée St-Étienne
Conseil scolaire de district catholique du Nouvel-Ontario
Dowling

École publique Camille-Perron
Conseil scolaire de district du Grand Nord de l'Ontario
Markstay

École élémentaire MacDonald-Cartier
Conseil scolaire de district du Grand Nord de l'Ontario
Sudbury

École publique de la Rivière-des-Français
Conseil scolaire de district du Grand Nord de l'Ontario
Noëlville

École élémentaire publique Odyssée
Conseil scolaire de district du Nord-Est de l'Ontario
North Bay

École publique Jeunesse Active
Conseil scolaire de district du Nord-Est de l'Ontario
Sturgeon Falls

The event was also filmed by elementary video challenge teams. The students will submit their final edited films for judging in the weeks ahead.

The winning teams of the 2010 Elementary Cardboard Boat Race held in Sturgeon Falls are as follows:

Gold École Alliance St-Joseph, of Conseil scolaire de district du Grand Nord de l'Ontario,
Chelmsford

Silver École publique Camille-Perron, of Conseil scolaire de district du Grand Nord de l'Ontario,
Markstay

Bronze École élémentaire MacDonald-Cartier, of Conseil scolaire de district du Grand Nord de l'Ontario, Sudbury

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