Cardboard challenge in Chester

By Ginny Privitar
CHESTER — The students at Chester Elementary School took part in the Global Cardboard Challenge on Friday, Sept. 30. Armed with stacks of flat cardboard, boxes and tapes, they had to come up with an idea for a project they would create, assemble their supplies, work out any engineering problems as they arose and then critique their work, thinking of ways they could improve on their creation.
There were lots of examples of creativity: robots, a haunted house, a model of Chester, a marble chase game, a merry-go-round, a fish tank, a taco stand, pizzeria and a vending machine, among others.
One group of fifth-graders demonstrated how their vending machine worked: there were slots for bills and coins and a flap at the bottom where the snacks came out. Instead of a “deus ex machina,” they had a “puer ex machina,” — a boy in the machine — in the person of Anthony Donadio, who was inside the machine and happily put the items purchased into the snack tray at the bottom.
There was a fish tank with fish suspended from the top to simulate floating in water. Another group made a taco stand, complete with “tacos,” ingredients like “lettuce” and “cheese,” and spatulas to cook and serve them with.
The premise of creating out of cardboard was explored in the film “Caine’s Arcade,” a documentary which tells the story of Caine Monroy, a 9-year-old who built an arcade out of cardboard in his dad’s auto shop.
The nonprofit Imagination Foundation, which seeks to foster creativity and entrepreneurship in children, embraced the idea in “Caine’s Arcade" and created the Global Cardboard Challenge.
Principal Cindy Walsh learned about the Cardboard Challenge at a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) conference and initiated the project at Chester. Parents and volunteers helped with assembly during the day-long event.
Chester STEM coordinator Catherine O’Hara said, “This is our second year with the initiative at the elementary school. Our Global Cardboard Challenge today celebrates our STEM through the arts initiative: problem-based learning where we really stress the 21st century learning skills of creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and communication ... You’ll see everything from a ticket booth to a vending machine to a dress ... but they’re all learning from kindergarten on the importance of the engineering design process and that when we make mistakes or a failure (that) is something that actually we can learn to improve upon and that all designs in life start at a certain point and they evolve."
Principal Cindy Walsh said, “I was inspired to participate in the Global Cardboard Challenge because it is a perfect fit for our STEM initiative. The day was packed with opportunities for students to work together to plan design and create whatever they imagined. These are the skills of innovators and leaders. These are the skills our students will need to take with them into the future.”