A lesson in engineering (and giving)

***image1***Every child wants a bicycle, right? Just like every teenager wants a car. But students at Kaiserslautern Middle School understand the make-up of bicycles, because 24 members of the Pre-Engineering Club acquired “pre-owned” bicycles, took then apart and created new, improved bicycles.

 “After I found the bicycles, I decided why not put the parts together and create bicycles for students who needed new ones?” James Davis, club sponsor said. “To make it even more exciting, I decided the students would have a drawing after the bikes were complete to see who could take one home with them.”

Mr. Davis had no idea the impact the first winning bicycle would have on its new owner.

For the winner, eighth-grader Anna Massey, the bicycle couldn’t have come at a better time. 

“It was really a surprise. I had a bike that was too small and very heavy, so I would never ride it,” Anna said. “This bike is perfect, and this week was my birthday!”

Anna’s mother was equally enthusiastic about the bicycle and the extracurricular activity. 

“I think it’s great. Both my kids had fun taking the bicycles apart,” Kara Massey said. “They weren’t so happy doing the research before the activity, but afterwards, they knew more about bicycles, and it helped them understand the
mechanics of what they were building.”

According to Mr. Davis, the Pre-Engineering Club is a cross-curricular club open to all students of all academic abilities in sixth to eighth grades. The meetings deal with hands-on activities with electricity, electronics, wiring, computers and anything mechanical. Students enhance their writing and mathematical skills, as well as research and computer literacy skills by attending the club meetings.
The club meets twice a month on Wednesdays after school and averages more than 20 attendees per meeting.

Anyone interested in donating materials to Mr. Davis can contact him at KMS at 489-7430 or via e-mail at James.Davis@eu.dodea.edu.