8th Grade Science Students Host 3rd Annual Cardboard Boat Regatta

Taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather, our 8th grade students concluded their unit on buoyancy and density by racing self-constructed cardboard boats across the Chastain Park Pool on Wednesday, October 13.

As part of Mr. Fallon's science class, he challenged students to use Archimedes principle, design engineering, and cardboard to collaborate and build cardboard boats capable of carrying two students across a body of water. 

Using what they had learned about density, buoyancy, and volume displacement, students then designed boat prototypes and tested the strength with pennies before constructing the boats that would eventually carry them across the pool and back. 

This year's boat names included Space-X, The Titanic, Boston Tea Party, and the Millenium Fallon. True to their team, the gold team took the most successful laps back and forth across the pool, receiving the title of 2021 regatta champion!

Watch a video of the inaugural boat race in 2019 below!