![A young person paddles a cardboard boat adorned with American flags across a swimming pool.]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1788965832/oakhillday/ztww14uvpcvnnayau5fz/regattaanddetective-6.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1788965832/oakhillday/ztww14uvpcvnnayau5fz/regattaanddetective-6.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1788965832/oakhillday/ztww14uvpcvnnayau5fz/regattaanddetective-6.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1788965832/oakhillday/ztww14uvpcvnnayau5fz/regattaanddetective-6.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1788965832/oakhillday/ztww14uvpcvnnayau5fz/regattaanddetective-6.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1788965832/oakhillday/ztww14uvpcvnnayau5fz/regattaanddetective-6.jpg","width":2200}])
Only at Oakhill will you see 6th grade Beni, 7th grader Aleah, or 8th grader Harrison climb into a bunch of cardboard that's been fashioned into a boat by their peers. This is the Middle School's Annual Cardboard Regatta!
The cardboard regatta is, first and foremost, FUN! At Oakhill, joy is not sacrificed to learning; instead, joy is integrated with learning! The regatta is a competition between the six middle school Homerooms. Each Homeroom makes a boat out of a bunch of cardboard, plus whatever supplies teachers might have in their rooms. (Rumors that teachers have been saving supplies specifically for the regatta are...completely founded.) At the regatta, each Homeroom is judged by the quality of their boat, their theme, their sportsmanship, and their success. This year, the Homerooms' themes were:
- M. Cole: Smarties (Captain Quincy)
- Jackson: Aloha Chickens (Captain Beni)
- J. Cole: USA (Captain Aleah)
- Dickey: Lightning McQueen (Captain Parker)
- Kleyh: Dragons (Captain Harrison)
- Robinson: Grannies (Captain Colette)
The boat building is teacher supervised but student-led. Sometimes, students have to work through collaboration challenges before the real work can begin. This provided many opportunities for students to practice humility, teamwork, listening, and patience.
As always, fun and joy have a purpose. Bringing students together to work together, cheer each other on, and find pride in their accomplishments helps build the school community. And as a result, students learn more! Studies have shown that social connection improves student academic outcomes. Social connection builds problem solving, increases classroom participation, and strengthens academic responsibility.
It may look like building a boat, but in reality, it's building so much more: connection, community, confidence, and academic achievement!
Source citations: The importance of social connection in schools and The Power of Connection: How Social Connection Plays a Vital Role in Today's Schools