This competition not only applies to the education and skills training the students receive, but to

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Clark Co. ATCs First Annual Junkyard Wars
This competition not only applies to the
education and skills training the students
receive, but to real life and what they will
experience in work J.C. Harris, Industrial
Maintenance Technology Instructor, Clark Co. ATC
First Place Team, Grease Balls Pictured from
left, first row Richard Clem and Heather
Nicely. Back row J.C. Harris, Wes Crowe,
Nathan Hood, Marcus Jackson, Amberly Webster,
Aaron Gilbert, Cassie McClure and Joe Norman.
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Second Place Suicidal Texans Pictured from left,
first row Alan Christopher and Kyle Blevins.
Back row J.C. Harris, Dustin Fletcher, David
Hall, Rob Landrum and Joe Norman.
Best Looking Entry Jumping Jacks Pictured from
left Amy Pritchard, J.C. Harris, Amber Horton,
Steven Bowles, Brandon Proffitt, Jeremy Golman
and Joe Norman.
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The air around the Clark Co. ATC (CCATC) was
filled with more than just warm sunshine and blue
skies on May 16. Thats when the school hosted
its first annual Junkyard Wars. I got the
idea while watching the Junkyard Wars show for
teens on television one rainy Saturday, said
CCATC Principal Joe Norman. It struck me that
we could have a similar competition and involve
everyone at our school. The plan of
constructing gliders with land based launchers
came together with the help of Industrial
Maintenance Technology Instructor J.C. Harris who
helped compile construction information and
sources for materials. Harris gives credit to
all the CCATC instructors in doing this job and
making this project a success. Those instructors
are Phillip Burch, welding Richard Butcher,
carpentry Bob Early, automotive technology
Harriet Wininger, health science and Thomas
Sprinkle, information technology. Teams
comprised of students from all ATC morning and
afternoon classes had four days to learn about
glider design, and then construct their entries
using plastic foam, wood and tape as well as
other junkyard items. The fifth day was
reserved for the competition. The glider that
flew farthest without going out of bounds would
be declared the winner.
We decided to set up perimeters to increase
accuracy. Entries landing out of bounds would be
disqualified, said Mr. Harris.
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Students learned about their assignment on
day one, including rules and construction
information. Teams were chosen along with their
captains and official team names. The
captains were in charge of coordinating team
efforts, procuring building materials, and
scheduling the different school labs for
equipment use and construction purposes. They,
along with team members, also worked with the
ATCs resident flight expert, Automotive
Technology Instructor Bob Early. He provided
students with a physics lesson on the principles
of flight, known as Bernoullis Principle (BP).
Concerning flight, BP involves the shape of an
airplane's wing. The the top is curved and the
bottom is flat. Air travels across the top and
bottom in the same time, so air travels slower on
the bottom (creating more pressure) and faster on
top (creating less pressure). This supposedly
keeps the plane in the air. The second
days activities included finalizing sketches of
each teams design and putting together a
materials list. Team leaders took these lists to
the ATC junkyard to obtain supplies. As
construction began, ATC instructors were allowed
to help only with equipment operation. Advice
could not be given to any student regarding
building procedure. The third and fourth
days were devoted entirely to construction. After
completion, teams were allowed to store their
gliders in separate locations in order to
eliminate espionage and borrowing.
According to Mr. Harris, the purpose of the
competition was to promote teamwork, design, and
mechanical skills in a competitive environment.
We pulled students from each program offered at
CCATC and placed at least one on every team, he
said. This gave them the opportunity to learn
about other programs in the school they may not
have known about before. We were able to combine
the efforts of all our classes and instructors to
make this idea a reality.
Bob Early explains Bernoullis Principle.
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Holly Spurgeon, a senior in the health
science class said I found out what other
students learn about in their classes. I
liked it because I got to meet a new group of
people and do something I wouldnt normally get
to do, said Megan Miller, a sophomore and a
health science student as well. Each team
would have two opportunities to fly their gliders
in the competition phase. On the morning of
competition, students gathered all around the ATC
making last minute equipment corrections and
cosmetic touch-ups as well as conducting test
flights. April Townsend, an ATC student and
VICA secretary, served as project coordinator and
liaison. She made sure teams were in their
proper places and flight information was
recorded. As teams finished their first try,
they scrambled to make necessary repairs and
adjustments before their last attempt. It was
exciting to see all the students working together
to achieve a common goal, said Mr. Norman.
The overall champion was determined by a final
glide between the winners from the morning and
afternoon classes, the Grease Balls and the
Suicidal Texans. First place went to the Grease
Balls with a distance of 489. The team
consisted of Heather Nicely and Amberly Webster,
health science, Wes Crowe and Marcus Jackson,
welding, Cassie McClure and Nathan Hood,
carpentry, and Aaron Gilbert and Richard Clem,
automotive technology.
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We started off with what looked like a boat
and ended up redesigning the whole plane, said
Team Leader Cassie McClure. I liked the fact
that this event brought different skills to the
table, skills you wouldnt know about unless you
participated in a project like this.  Never
count yourself out, said Marcus Jackson,
referring to their team being behind going into
the second round of flights. This was different
because we worked with people who have different
mind sets about what should be done. We had to
come to an agreement by compromise. It
was fun to work with all the different people
using their skills to build the glider and
launcher, said Wes Crowe. Trophies were
presented to the first and second place teams.
Plaques were presented to the team with the best
looking entry. This honor went to the Jumping
Jack team with their classic biplane design.
Students and teachers were treated to a cookout
after the competition. These students will
walk away from this having learned and gained
more than they think, said Mr. Harris. I went
to a vocational-technical school when I was in
high school and it changed my life. I hope it
will do the same for them.
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Good News Flash 28 May 30, 2003