The CHS Academy of Engineering, Agriculture, and Mechanics believes that when teachers, students, and community members work together, amazing things happen.
Recently, Coach Ben Swafford, a member of the Academy of Health and Human Services, brought the athletic trainers’ golf cart to the engineering lab for a minor repair. The roof of the cart was sagging, which made it difficult for Coach Swafford and Coach Keyanna Dawson to use it to help Coffee High’s athletes. When Coach Swafford mentioned that Coach Dawson was working to raise the funds to purchase a new one, engineering teacher Jerry Hill asked, “Why would you buy a new one?” That conversation led to a project-based learning opportunity that benefited the students and the school
Students Jake Grantham, Jacob Vaughn, Ridlee Mobley, and Wesley Hood embodied the academy’s motto: Solve the problem. So what was the problem? It was how to make the trainers’ golf cart field-worthy again, save money, and apply the engineering concepts the students have learned this year.
Engineering students set out to make the golf cart new again and were able to implement the engineering design process they had learned. The process led to their wiring for new lights, a light bar, and a Bluetooth sound system, welding to fix the broken frame, and build a new lift kit with new tires and rims, re-covering seats, and adding a new steering wheel. They also overhauled the cart’s suspension and brakes.
Coach Swafford’s request for a minor repair morphed into a real-world project shared among members of three academies: Engineering, Agriculture, and Mechanics; Health and Human Services; and Fine Arts, Business, and Information Technology (FBIT). FBIT students added to the project when Mrs. Kristi Joyner and her students designed and made athletic training decals for the cart, proving that when the academies work together, great things happen!
The re-engineered golf cart is a sight to behold and will benefit the many athletes for years to come. More importantly, engineering students are well on their way to a great future career.
Coffee High School and the CHS Academies of Coffee would like to thank Williams Foods, Carroll’s Sausage and Meats, PCC Airfoils, State Farm, and Premium Peanut for their generous donations and Mr. Lee Mobley for his time.