Vermont Day School wins Champlain Mini Maker Faire award

Take your mark…get set…..go! On Saturday, Sept. 22, Vermont Day School students participated in the Champlain Mini Maker Faire and challenged the community to a Great Zucchini Race. Visitors to the booth were presented with a design challenge to create an ergonomic vehicle out of a zucchini, using wheels, axles and a variety of creative materials, ranging from pipe cleaners to cardboard and feathers to duct tape.

Once satisfied with their design, participants raced their zucchini cars down a 10-foot ramp hand-built by Vermont Day School parent Rich Tremblay. “This was a fun activity. I really had to think about what factors of my design would make my car go faster,” said James Moorehead, a Vermont Day School 2nd grader. Some participants focused on the aerodynamics of the zucchini, while others added as much creative flair as they could to make it heavier.

The school was awarded the “Maker of the Year” award for this innovative activity. The recognition came from Maker Faire participants themselves, who cast their votes for the recipient of this award. Champlain Maker Faire founder Doug Webster presented the school with a one-of-a-kind Maker Bear wearing a battery-operated, light-up outfit, specially designed by Vermont Teddy Bear Company for this event. “We are very proud to have received this award,” said Sage Bagnato, head of school. “The Champlain Mini Maker Faire is an amazing community event that exhibits many of the same values we strive for at Vermont Day School, and we were excited to be a part of it this year.”

Founded in 2015, Vermont Day School is an independent, nonprofit school that prepares K-8 students to be passionate learners, creative thinkers, effective collaborators and responsible global citizens in the 21st century. For more information visit the Vermont Day School website or attend the school’s Fall Open House on Sunday, Nov. 4, at 3:00 p.m.