Rub-a-dub-dub Franco-Nord students in a tub

Rub-a-dub-dub Three girls in a tub … actually it is Sam Rota (front of boat) and her friends testing out their cardboard boat.

Students from the Conseil scolaire catholique Franco-Nord gathered at Memorial Gardens Wednesday morning to design vessels to compete in the annual cardboard boat races hosted by the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program.

Armed with cardboard, string, duct tape, contact cement about 150 grade 7 and 8 students from Cité des Jeunes, Mariale, Ste-Anne Mattawa, Lorrain and St-Thomas d’Aquin worked together in teams of four to design and build a fully functional boat which then would be tested in the YMCA pool.

OYAP coordinator for the Conseil scolaire catholique Franco-Nord, Lise Paulin, says the focus of the cardboard boat race day is to utilize the basics of design and technology and give students an opportunity to test their theories while challenging their peers and having fun.

The boats that typically reach the finish line are generally balanced with durability and speed, as well as a healthy dose of team spirit.