SOCORRO, N.M. – A core group of mechanical engineering students are mentoring local charter school students for the inaugural soap box derby races, which will be April 11 on the golf course.

The soap box derby was the brainchild of Robinson Ford, a sixth-grader at Cottonwood Valley Charter School and the son of professor Dr. Julie Ford.

(Pictured at right are David Kracke (blue shirt), Robinson Ford (white shirt), and NMT student and coach Casper Huang (black hat)).

“I saw YouTube videos and heard about soap box racing and I wanted to race things,” he said. “The college students are teaching us and we are learning about the design process.

Robinson started raising money last summer to help purchase equipment for the cars. By September, he had raised $500 for each of four teams of CVCS students from fourth to seventh grade.

(Pictured at right are Anna Zagrai (standing) and Anastasia Zagrai with their soap box derby car.)

Each team has mentors who are upperclassmen in the Mechanical Engineering Department.

 

They have designed four very different vehicles, mostly at the EMRTC Carpentry Shop west of main campus. The NMT students and youngsters have been meeting every Monday all semester. They are putting the finishing touches on their vehicles this week.

(Pictured at right are Perrin Aguilar (left), Cole Johnston  (center) and Keller Ford.)

The students will race their vehicles on the fairway of the 14^th hole of the golf course as a kickoff to Spring Fling on April 11.

 – NMT –