Every year students look forward to attending or competing in the annual Boat Regatta held by Mr. Barsody’s physics and honors physics classes and some of Mr. Duttry’s conceptual physics students.  This year the Boat Regatta will be held on Monday, May 7 in the Natatorium during PM Activity Period until the end of school day.

Mr. Barsody has been doing the Boat Regatta for four years and reflects on challenges he faced in the beginning stating, “The first year looked like a science experiment gone awry, but we had a fun time and learned a lot of things along the way.  This year is going to be the best one yet, and we will add a couple new additional features to build on the success from last year’s regatta.”

For this year’s regatta, there will be 12 total teams competing with each team ranging from 6 to 12 members, including the captain. The captain in this event dresses differently from the rest of the team to stand out and also is in charge of keeping the team together.

Each year the events the teams compete in changes. Students recently brainstormed about ten or so different events for this year’s regatta.  There will be three or four events, depending upon student vote and the time requirements to run each event.

The Boat Regatta is run over a period of a couple months. Students must create a “Captain’s Log” where they document their work and create a boat that will last through the event. Students will build miniature boat models out of manila file folders to experiment with and refine ideas before designing their actual boat, which should hold anywhere from 2-6 students.  Each team of students will have a unique theme.  Their boats will be painted accordingly, and the captain and his or her crew will dress in matching attire.

Not only is the Boat Regatta entertaining for the student body, but it is also educational and can build friendships and a chance for students to express their creativity. Students expand their knowledge of Newton’s Three Laws of Motion, Archimedes’ Principle, torques produced by the gravitational and buoyant forces, equilibrium, volume, density, and engineering.

Mr. Barsody expands on why he thinks the Boat Regatta is so important to students explaining, “It’s a rich educational and life experience.  Students choose their own team members among all physics classes here at CHS. They must work together and overcome obstacles as a team in their eight-week journey toward the completion of a challenging physics project, where most of it is completed in mom and dad’s basement or garage.  Students have the freedom to be themselves, to show off their personality, and to participate in a fun and memorable event. Thank you to all physics students who have helped make this event what it is!”