Fifth graders at Martinez Elementary School are working on a year-long project with Club Car to design and engineer accessory features to include in Club Car vehicles.
Martinez Elementary has partnered with Club Car, a locally-based manufacturer of golf carts and utility vehicles, for this initiative since 2018.
The annual project begins during the fall semester when students formulate ideas for vehicle features, and culminates toward the end of the school year as they competitively pitch their ideas Shark Tank-style to Club Car engineers and leaders – last year’s winning feature was a red light option for Club Car vehicles to protect turtles while driving along the beach.
The Club Car team will return to Martinez Elementary each month for the remainder of the school year to monitor students’ progress and to answer any of their questions.
Imaginative engineering
On Friday morning, Club Car employees made a visit to the elementary school for one of the key days in the idea-creation process – students had a chance to interact with several Club Car vehicles, measure them and begin brainstorming.
“Part of the project is they have to measure and decide where on the car [the accessory is] actually going to go,” said Susan Dachenhausen, fifth grade math and science teacher.
“This project has really proven to really enhance the creativity of students…it’s having to get them to brainstorm, it’s having to get them to really dig deep into something that hasn’t been created yet,” she added.
She said she often finds herself surprised by the inventions her students dream up: “It’s really neat to see the different perspectives and to see the different ideas that come from them, because they’re things I wouldn’t have thought of myself,” she said.
Job opportunities for the future
Carrie Harrison, Director of Custom Vehicle Solutions at Club Car, said today is one of the company’s “most exciting days.”
“It’s a lot of fun just to be involved with all the children in the community, teach them a little bit about Club Car…teach them about what we do, the products that we produce, all of the different job opportunities, things that are open to them as they grow up,” she said.
