On Dec. 21, 2022, Penn Manor High School students gathered in the Millersville University indoor swimming pool for the Cardboard Regatta. Teams of students competed to see which of their cardboard boats would conquer the turbulent tide during the event, which was coordinated by Penn Manor physics teacher Barney Peace.

Prior to the actual race, each team of students was tasked with designing its own boat made almost entirely from cardboard. Students had to apply what Peace taught them about buoyancy force to calculate how high the water would rise and predict how much mass the boat would hold. Students' main objective was to ride their boats from one end to the other while paddling with their hands. "It's good experience for the kids in engineering, design and application," said Peace. "We had a high rate of success where the boats made it to the end of the pool. Overall, it was a very successful event."

Peace graded the students on their calculations when designing the boat as well as the boat's performance during the race, and they had to abide by specific rules when constructing their ships. Students could not double layer the cardboard or cover their entire boat with tape. The boats did not need to be waterproof; they only needed to make it to the end of the pool.

Students who did not physically ride a boat during the competition participated in a variety of other ways, serving as the event's masters of ceremonies, interviewing each team and helping to get the boats in and out of the pool. Peace also encouraged students to decorate their vessels to earn extra points, and many students wore matching costumes to fit their boat's theme. At the end of the regatta, the students were graded on how quickly their boat made it to the end of the pool, and students whose boat finished the fastest earned their team bragging rights for the rest of the year.

Peace has held events similar to the Cardboard Regatta in the past, but this year marks the first time that it was offered to students at Penn Manor High School. Peace organized a yearly Cardboard Regatta at his previous school in York County and brought the event with him when he began teaching at Penn Manor in August.

Peace plans to organize another Cardboard Regatta in the spring semester with his next class and expects it to involve twice as many students than before. "This is something the students will always remember from my class," said Peace. "Some of them can't believe their boat will float. I love seeing the excitement on their faces in the pool."