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News & Photos
Eighth Graders Race to the Finish in Soapbox Derby
McDonogh students are LifeReady. What does this mean? We teach students how to think, not what to think, empowering them to lead lives of consequence and do the greatest good. LifeReady Skills Achieved: Creative & Critical Thinking, Communicating, Collaborating, and Connecting
For weeks this spring, teams of eighth graders gathered in the Roa Innovation Center with a shared goal: build a racecar fast enough to win the annual soapbox derby. Armed with wood, cardboard, and a working knowledge of physics, the 24 teams designed and constructed their own cars, considering factors like aerodynamics, friction, weight distribution, and structural integrity, preparing to put the engineering design process to a very real test.
The competition for the best car went beyond construction. Each team also filmed a commercial to showcase their car's design, strategy, and spirit, and to make their case for why it would win. Advisories from fifth to eighth grade screened the videos and voted for their top three cars, with names that suggested the eighth grade engineers had as much fun with their branding as they did with their builds.
By derby day, the whole Middle School had become stakeholders before a single car hit the starting line. The energy in the Rollins-Luetkemeyer Athletic Center was electric with crowds of middle and lower schoolers filling the stands to cheer on their favorite soapbox cars as they flew around the course. The seventh grade Advisory Council kept the enthusiasm high by calling the heats live.
When the final race was run, team Red Bull took first place, with Mermobile and F.B.I. finishing as runners-up. “The creativity, themes, costumes, and car designs were truly incredible,” says science teacher Tina Karpovich. “It was a fantastic event and a job well done all around.”
Other awards given were:
- Best Engineered: Ninja Turtles, Honorable Mention: Candy Kart
- Most Unique: Rub-a-dub Duck, Honorable Mention: Red Bull
- Most Artistic: Oscar's Taxi, Honorable Mention: Ice Ice Baby
- Still Under Construction: F.B.I., Honorable Mention: Mystery Machine
- Best in Show: Super Sucree, Honorable Mention: Shark Attack
McDonogh’s robust STEM programs develop intellectual confidence, creative problem-solving, and technical fluency in every student. The coordinated pathway from kindergarten to twelfth grade ensures that students do not restart their learning at each level; they advance. Beginning in the Lower School, students explore CAD, robotics, and guided tool safety. The program grows in Middle School with independence in design and fabrication to Upper School mastery of advanced systems, culminating in a Capstone experience where seniors tackle real community challenges in collaboration with Greatest Good McDonogh and 800-Acre Labs.
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McDonogh students are LifeReady. What does this mean? We teach students how to think, not what to think, empowering them to lead lives of consequence and do the greatest good. LifeReady Skills Achieved: Creative & Critical Thinking, Communicating, Collaborating, and Connecting
For weeks this spring, teams of eighth graders gathered in the Roa Innovation Center with a shared goal: build a racecar fast enough to win the annual soapbox derby. Armed with wood, cardboard, and a working knowledge of physics, the 24 teams designed and constructed their own cars, considering factors like aerodynamics, friction, weight distribution, and structural integrity, preparing to put the engineering design process to a very real test.
The competition for the best car went beyond construction. Each team also filmed a commercial to showcase their car's design, strategy, and spirit, and to make their case for why it would win. Advisories from fifth to eighth grade screened the videos and voted for their top three cars, with names that suggested the eighth grade engineers had as much fun with their branding as they did with their builds.
By derby day, the whole Middle School had become stakeholders before a single car hit the starting line. The energy in the Rollins-Luetkemeyer Athletic Center was electric with crowds of middle and lower schoolers filling the stands to cheer on their favorite soapbox cars as they flew around the course. The seventh grade Advisory Council kept the enthusiasm high by calling the heats live.
When the final race was run, team Red Bull took first place, with Mermobile and F.B.I. finishing as runners-up. “The creativity, themes, costumes, and car designs were truly incredible,” says science teacher Tina Karpovich. “It was a fantastic event and a job well done all around.”
Other awards given were:
- Best Engineered: Ninja Turtles, Honorable Mention: Candy Kart
- Most Unique: Rub-a-dub Duck, Honorable Mention: Red Bull
- Most Artistic: Oscar's Taxi, Honorable Mention: Ice Ice Baby
- Still Under Construction: F.B.I., Honorable Mention: Mystery Machine
- Best in Show: Super Sucree, Honorable Mention: Shark Attack
McDonogh’s robust STEM programs develop intellectual confidence, creative problem-solving, and technical fluency in every student. The coordinated pathway from kindergarten to twelfth grade ensures that students do not restart their learning at each level; they advance. Beginning in the Lower School, students explore CAD, robotics, and guided tool safety. The program grows in Middle School with independence in design and fabrication to Upper School mastery of advanced systems, culminating in a Capstone experience where seniors tackle real community challenges in collaboration with Greatest Good McDonogh and 800-Acre Labs.