Local students participate in Pinewood derbies
Robbinsville – Students in the 21st Century Afterschool Program at Robbinsville Elementary School and Robbinsville Middle School got to participate in a fun competition last week, with the hosting of two pinewood derbies.
Students at both schools raced cars they built from small pine blocks on an incline track. The students were assisted in designing and building the cars by Robbinsville High School carpentry teacher Rick Parham and his students.
Mariah Moody, the program’s parent liasion, led the events and helped set them up. She said the program hoped to make it an annual event.
“Over spring break, they used that time to build the cars and then we had this derby track from Boy Scouts that was given to us, so we just used it,” Moody said.
She said the derby helped encourage parent involvement, as well as helping to teach STEM concepts and encouraging creativity.
“I think we had a good turnout,” Moody said.
She said the cars had to meet certain criteria, including weighing five ounces or less.
She also said the idea of a pinewood derby was suggested by Graham County Schools Superintendent Angie Knight.
Program Director Teresa Hollifield further discussed the program, which is funded by a three-year federal grant administrated through the N.C. Department of Education.
Hollifield noted that Graham County Schools was in the final year of a three-year cycle with the grant and had put in the paperwork to hopefully receive the grant again, starting next year.
She said the program normally ran a third site at the Stecoah Valley Center, prior to COVID-19 pandemic.
“They’re hoping to get back open for a summer program,” Hollifield said. “All of our programs run summer programs here.”
She said the derby was a success.
“I was really pleased with the children and the cars they made,” Hollifield said. “I think they were really excited about it.”