MADE in Morganton - An Engineering Challenge

In the MADE competition last weekend, middle school teams were charged with building a functioning wind turbine from recycled materials. The Morganton Art, Design, and Engineering competition is an annual event in downtown Morganton open to middle- and high-school teams from Burke county. This was Morganton Day School’s first year participating.

The challenge was to create a windmill that could generate electricity in 3 simulated locations: the Mountains, the Piedmont, and the Coastal Region. Students had to work with tools and materials provided onsite to build their windmill. They worked for 12 hours Friday and Saturday to create their final product.

Facing more experienced teams, the MDS team of four middle school students overcame obstacles, engaged in the engineering process, and reworked ideas to take a final product to the testing station. They persevered for two days, adapting and tweaking their design between tests under the pressure and time limit, seeing their product through to the final presentation. MDS student learn how to work together as a team and solve problems as they arise, and the MADE team showed those skills over the weekend.

Morganton Day is committed to education that prepares students to be responsible citizens and future leaders of our global community. Hands-on, inquiry-based learning is an essential part of that education. For more information or a tour, please call 828-437-6782 or go to morgantondayschool.com.