Students learn to float at Newport Harbor

Incoming freshmen at Newport Harbor High School who enrolled in its Da Vinci Summer Program, part of the school’s math- and science-focused Da Vinci Academy, spent Monday building boats that would float in the school pool.

The experiment isn’t as easy as it sounds. These boats were far bigger than a breadbox; they each had to hold a student.

To further complicate matters, the students were only given two construction components: cardboard and packing tape.

Before heading out to the pool, the kids broke up into small groups, then determined who would be their boat’s “captain.” They worked out the dimensions of their boats, including the shape of the base and height of the walls, as well as the total weight.

The project is one of the students’ favorites, along with a Lego robot-building day and contest, math teacher Brandon Clay said.

In another project, students created their own clinometers, tools used to measure slope and angles. The kids also guess and then find out how much horsepower they generate. Many kids estimate they can produce about six horsepower, only to find that the strongest of them only may generate one horsepower.

Another benefit of the program is intangible, Clay said. About half the kids in this year’s program come from private schools; the other half come from Ensign Intermediate School.

Few of them know their way around Newport Harbor before beginning the summer program, Clay said. Spending two weeks on campus before the year begins gives them an edge on the often-terrifying first day of school.

An experiment in which they measured the heights of various campus landmarks also helped them learn their way around, Clay said.

“I think it made it a lot easier to get around,” said Jill Messersmith, 13, who attended Ensign. “I thought I would have gotten lost on the first day.”

A fan of science, Jill said she’s enjoyed the program’s field trips, which have included the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Natural History Museum. On the field trips, scavenger hunts made learning fun for the students.

“I’ve learned a lot about trigonometry,” Jill said, which surprised her because she just completed eighth grade. “I thought we were going to just do our own level of math.”

Students also learned software such as Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint and incorporated the software into their lessons.

The two-week program for incoming freshmen grants them five math credits upon successful completion.

Like the main academy, the summer session focuses on projects and lab activities to help the students make connections between theory and practice.

The program has an art history component, too, which creators believe would have pleased its namesake, consummate Renaissance man Leonardo Da Vinci.