Project requirements

Part A- Summary Statement

The project is a simulation of the America’s Cup Challenge. The purpose of the project is to integrate different subjects and relate them to one project. Students form teams within the school’s curricula to work as one team in order to build, and to learn how to race a sailboat.

Part B- Comprehensive narrative

The "True-Value High School Challenge Cup" is a multi-curricula project, designed to incorporate the disciplines from the industrial technology, math, science, and English classes. Each class acts as a team, responsible for enabling another team of students to successfully plan, construct, and race an International Fireball class sailboat. The objectives of the project are to integrate academic and non-academic curricula and to utilize a school's available technology in a practical application. The project is designed for high school students in 9^th - 12^th grades.

Jefferson-Morgan School District has sixty-six students on the team. Twenty students from the math classes use skills, such as plotting, measuring calibrating angles and curves, to lay out and create the various offsets needed to cut out the pieces of the boat. They are responsible for the various measurement requirements that are in metric. An international measurer assigned by the Fireball sailboat class organization will check the measurements.

Six students from the industrial technology classes are responsible for building the boat. They have to work within 8 millimeters of tolerance to insure that the boat will pass the international measurer inspection, near the end of April.

Twenty students from the English classes are responsible for advertising the event and promoting the efforts. Articles are written throughout the entire project, comparing it to a real America’s Cup challenge. The articles will be submitted to various sailing magazines for publication. They also contact local newspapers and television stations to inform the public and to create interest and support for the project.

Twenty students from the science classes work on a series of problems. The problems range from how a sailboat works, to how the boat should be rigged, based on controlling the draft of the sails, center of effort, stress points on structural pieces, and the best use of hydro-dynamic principles in determining the shape of the rudder and underwater centerboard.

Part C – Designed audience other then students

The project is designed for the benefit of the students working on it, but parents and other interested parties may view the race at Pymatuning State Park. Pymatuning Sailing Club will furnish pontoon boats to use as spectator crafts to enable others to view the race from the race course. Members of the club will be available to explain the different points of sailboat racing so the spectators have a better understanding.

Part "D" "E" "F" combined; support services, timetable, and activities

The project involves several outside organizations. Pymatuning Sailing Club will host several training weekends at their facility in order for the team to practice the fundamentals of sailing. During the fall of 1999, representatives from the club instructed the students in the basics of sailing. During the winter, the students are exposed to more complex theories of sailing in their science classes. This coming spring the students will return to Pymatuning where the sailing instructors will teach the students how to race sailboats. During the second week in May, the sailing team will have access to the boat that was built at the school. They have two weeks to rig and tune the boat for the race against the rival school.

Since September, the students have used the Internet, which enables them to communicate with people from various organizations. Their acquired information helps in the construction of the boat and supplies them with advise concerning sailing problems. Fireball International is the worldwide governing body for the International Fireball class sailboat, (the sailboat that was chosen to be built). Their headquarters is in England, with a North American office located in Ottawa, Canada. They have donated the plans and a set of rules concerning the boat. They have supplied our students with various interesting materials, such as magazines with articles about the boat, window stickers, and posters advertising the boat and class association. Fireball International has contacted several people that have agreed to work with our students over the Internet. The people include a naval architect from Norfolk, Virginia, a professional boat builder from Charleston, South Carolina, and an engineer from Welland, Canada. Their role in the project is to help with the specific requirements of an International Fireball sailboat. True-Value Hardware Corporation has agreed to be a corporate sponsor and supply the winning trophy. They are donating tee shirts and hats form their "Tools for Tomorrow" program. The actual race is called the "True-Value High School Challenge Cup."

On May 20-21, 2000, Pymatuning Sailing Club will host the race between Jefferson-Morgan School District and the Baldwin Whitehall School District to determine the winner of the True-Value High School Challenge Cup.

Part G – How the activity aids in accomplishing objectives.

At the race, students will have the opportunity to test the theories learned in their science classes and use the skills they learned from their sailing instructor in order to race the boat. The project adapts well to Bernice McCarthy’s 4-MAT educational process as it allows for the left and right brain thinking at the same time. The project allows opportunities for hands-on activities to integrate with cognitive type learning styles. The project is especially unique this year because an America’s Cup Challenge is taking place in New Zealand. The students have an opportunity to follow the developments of the races over the Internet or television. They are able to compare themselves with the professional sailors and have a greater appreciation for their acquired knowledge.

Part H – Cost

Wood and epoxy for construction……………………….…..$2,000.00

Mast, boom, sail, and rigging………………………………..$2,500.00

Paint, varnish, and caulking……………………………………$150.00

Design and royalty fees………………………………………..$255.00

Expenses for training trip to Pymatuning……………………...$300.00

The school paid for wood, royalty fees, and paint. Payment for the sail and rigging is still needed. Several parents and community businesses agreed to pay for the expenses of the training trip to Pymantuning. They also purchased golf shirts for the sailing team in order to promote school and community spirit. Two members from the Pymantuning Sailing Club donated used sailboats so that the students can practice sailing while waiting for their boat to be completed.

Part I – Methods of evaluation

Throughout the year, teachers from the various classes will evaluate the performance of their students using tests, discussions, presentations, and demonstrations to determine their progress. As the sailboat is being constructed, the math students will use metric measuring to check the boat for accuracy against the 121 points of measurements to which the International Fireball class sailboat is supposed to adhere. Dimensions of length, width, depth, weight, and curves are all checked to insure that all International Fireballs are as identical to one another as possible. The tolerance for the measurements may only vary by 8 millimeters at any point.

Near the end of April, an independent, international measurer assigned by International Fireball will evaluate the boat. The measurer will provide authentic assessment for both teachers and students. If the boat does not pass the measurer, the boat will return to the school with a list of deficiencies. The students will correct the faults and return the boat to the measurer for re-evaluation. Once the boat passes the measurer, it will be awarded a racing certificate, assigned a sail number, and allowed to compete in sailboat races as an International Fireball.

After the final race at Pymatuning State Park, all of the teams will complete a final evaluation of the project. They will reflect upon their learning experience, acquired knowledge, accomplishments, failures, cooperative activities, and areas for improvement. The purpose of the evaluation is not only how a sailboat is constructed or how to sail a boat, but how to work together as a team to accomplish one goal.

The process of applying learned knowledge and the ability to contribute to a team, whether in an educational setting or a corporate venture, is a necessary attribute to be successful in the 21^st century. The project reflects this belief and Jefferson-Morgan School District will continue to participate in this worthwhile project.