Mount Holly Middle students participate in ‘Build Your Own Boat’ competition
For the
past several
weeks,
students
in Heather
Wilson’s class
at Mount
Holly Middle
School applied
their math
and science
knowledge
and skills
to design a
raft for the U.S. National Whitewater Center’s ‘Build Your Own Boat’
competition.
During their research, students realized that in previous
competitions many of the rafts used 50-gallon drums to successfully
make it down the whitewater channel.
“Our students came up with the idea of paint buckets,” explained
Wilson. “We thought it would serve the same purpose as the
50-gallon drums and not be quite as large.”
Called the “U.S.S. Hawk,” the raft was designed to hold four
adults: their teacher, assistant principal Michael Dermott, and
instructional technology facilitators Chris Goodson and Katherine
Leatherman. The four adults sat on a foam board that was placed on
top of two small inflatable tubes. Students then secured the foam
board and paint buckets to the raft using Gorilla Tape.
On Saturday, October 6, the “U.S.S. Hawk” successfully navigated
the class III and class IV rapids at the U.S. National Whitewater
Center. The Mount Holly boat was one of only eight boats out of 40 to
stay intact with all four team members still inside.
“This was a really great learning experience,” said Abby Wrenn,
who was one of the many students who helped to design the raft.
“Not only did it teach us math and science, but it taught us how to
work together as a team.”
Many of the supplies used to design the raft were donated by
Lowe’s Home Improvement.
Gaston County Schools Good News
n Gaston County Schools celebrated
its golden anniversary with the ‘Big
50 Parade’ on September 22. Nearly
90 school-related entries made their
way through downtown Gastonia to
celebrate the milestone. Ashbrook
High teacher Mamie Chisholm, who
began teaching in Gaston County in
1968, served as the honorary grand
marshal.
n Cherryville and South Point were recognized by the North
Carolina High School Athletic Association for being
ejection-free during the 2017-2018 school year.
n Rogan Smith of Forestview High School was recognized
as the first student in Gaston County to successfully
complete state requirements for the North Carolina Pre-
Apprentice for Masonry program.
n Webb Street School is providing mixed greens and lettuce
for Webb Custom Kitchen in downtown Gastonia. The
restaurant is purchasing the vegetables, which are grown
by students using the school’s greenhouse aquaponics
system.
n Belmont Central Elementary third grader Anna Grace
Dover and her mother authored a children’s book titled
“Moonlight and Allena: A Tale of Two Friends.” Last
month, she read the book in front of an audience at the
Belmont library.
n Belmont Central Elementary conducted a walking activity
2 • November/December 2018 • Parent Teacher Magazine
for International Walk to School Day. Parents and students
met on the ball field and walked around the track.
n The Belmont Middle eighth grade cheerleaders and
members of the football and softball teams read books to
third and fourth grade classes at Belmont Central
Elementary.
n Bessemer City Primary received a “spirit rock” from
Martin Marietta Materials of Kings Mountain and J&A
Hauling of Bessemer City. The rock will give students,
teachers, and others an opportunity to show their school
pride and celebrate special events in a fun way.
n Carr Elementary received $5,000 from the Town of Dallas
for a new playground.
n The Carr Elementary cafeteria staff earned a 100 percent
sanitation rating. In addition, Venture Church donated
boxes of books to the school for classroom libraries.
n Cherryville Elementary students enjoyed a visit from the
Southland Dairy Farmers mobile classroom and had the
opportunity to learn about the importance of dairy farms.
n The Gardner Park Elementary PTO provided each grade
level with two full bags of sporting equipment.
n Students at Chapel Grove Elementary participated in a
lesson on stranger danger and Internet safety. A Gaston
County Police Department officer presented the program.
n Gaston Early College High School students conducted a