Lunchtime no drag for pupils in revived GHS Tech Ed class

Thursday, February 20, 2014
With Greencastle High School industrial technology teacher David Basan (center) lining up competing dragsters, students Noah Barger and Corrie Romer prepare to face off in a lunchtime drag racing challenge with their CO2-powered creations.

James Dean and Steve McQueen -- a couple of one-time rebellious Hoosier school boys themselves -- would have loved this.

Greencastle High School students racing dragsters at lunch. Cars lurching off the starting line as the light turns green. Tires spinning. Classmates cheering. Right there in the old multipurpose room. With the principal even cheering them on.

OK, so maybe they didn't have a pack of Luckies rolled up in their sleeves or Brylcreem lubed into their hair.

But before somebody calls the cops or lobbies for double-secret probation, it's time for full disclosure.

This unique contest, the culmination of a four-week project, was the brainchild of first-year GHS industrial technology teacher David Basan.

Each student in the class created a dragster in a project similar to the old Boy Scout Pinewood Derby.

"It's like the Pinewood Derby program on steroids a bit," Basan smiled, knowing his students' racing dragsters are powered not by gravity but by CO2 cartridges.

It was also Basan's idea it was to bring the student-created CO2-powered dragsters out of the classroom and into the spotlight during GHS lunch periods last Tuesday and Thursday.

Having "a little bit of fun" is what it was all about, and letting other GHS students observe the activity meant more exposure for the tech ed class and possibly more interest in the program by prospective pupils.

The industrial technology program was decidedly down last year, so ever since Basan came on board to start the school year, he has been working to revive things.

"After what they went through last year, from what the guidance folks tell me, things are going pretty well," Basan said. "We've now got 35 to 40 kids and our numbers are way up for next year among the incoming freshmen."

But Basan's program involves much more than making a dragster from a block of wood and racing it against classmates.

Students started with that block of wood but had to come up with a thumbnail sketch of their dragster on paper initially, and then once approved, produced three more detailed sketches, including top and side views of their creation.

Observing guidelines that include minimum and maximum weights and specs addressing slope and axle hole positions, students were able to then use computer software to design everything with a three-dimensional view.

"We do what is called an 'explosion,'" Basan explained, "where each piece is pulled out away from the body and gets labeled."

The object is for a student to include as much information about the creation that if he or she were to give the drawing to a machinist, he could create the part.

Briefing his first group of competitors in front of a table filled with their colorful CO2 dragster creations, Greencastle High School industrial technology teacher David Basan explains how the contest will proceed in the GHS multipurpose room.

Two classes are involved in the project, Basan's Principles of Engineering class and Intro to Engineering and Design.

Students even incorporate mathematical theories throughout the effort. They take the time, speed and distance involved and do calculations to obtain mph or feet per second and more.

"There's applied math involved," Basan said. "It's a case of them doing the math, and since it's applied, they don't even know they're doing it."

But students did know who was beating whom as in the early heats freshman Craig Helmers' dragster took out sophomore Derek Query's entry and Evan Coble eliminated Johnny Newgent before Shawn Nally bested Adam Gerard.

Later, Jaden Barger's car outlasted Jacob Short and Anthony Rossok sped past Cory O'Neal.

Even girls got involved as Corrie Romer eliminated Noah Barger and Bailey Zapp took out Tyler Long.

The final four, however, ended up with sophomore Logan Butler capturing the championship and freshman Caleb Curtis as runner-up. Jaden Barger, a junior, and Dalton Evans, a sophomore, rounded out the final bracket after two days of fun through industrial technology.

As an added incentive, Basan secured some free Subway sandwich certificates for the winners.

GHS students have an Ivy Tech challenge to look forward to on Friday as competitors undertake an impromptu design challenge. Following that exercise, the class will take part in a space-themed event March 13 at Purdue University.

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  • Way to go Logan, Caleb, and Jaden! Drag-on!

    -- Posted by lduggan69 on Fri, Feb 21, 2014, at 6:46 AM
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